


Deliquesce

by mydaydream



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ghosts, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Suicide, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Multi, Serial Killers, by a minor character and he doesnt die, its like a line but im tagging it just in case, overuse of commas, seungcheol comes in for the last chapter as a special someone ;)), sungbri being the married couple they are, tagging is hard as hell, the fic no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-06 00:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14630607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydaydream/pseuds/mydaydream
Summary: Sungjin already has trouble dealing with the onslaught of cases and his team's antics, he really does not have time to dwell on his feelings for Younghyun especially not with a peculiar death on their hands.AU where Day6 are a team of detectives who deal with magical crimes and things happen





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy this!

“Hiya boss, here’s the new case file and also did you talk to him?” This was the first thing Jae says to him as he walks in handing him new case file.

“No hyung, there’s nothing to talk about. We’re fine.” Sungjin replied taking the file from him, scanning it, hoping to distract himself from the conversation he knew was coming. He wished Jae would let go of this matter but ever since he called him and freaked about sleeping with Brian, Jae has been on his ass about actually talking things out with him, maybe even confessing (which is never going to happen).

“But you’re in love with him! Just tell him, who knows? He might feel the same way.” Jae has not been blind to the way Brain looks at Sungjin when he thinks Sungjin is not looking and he's willing to bet his life savings on the fact that Brain is also in love with Sungjin. That’s a lot considering he’s one of the oldest vampires in the agency.

“Can we please stop talking about this before someone overhears?” Sungjin was exasperated, ready to start on the new case but Jae would not leave him alone.

“Sungjin my man, you have to understand that everyone in the office knows that you’re in love with Brian except Brian—"

“And I prefer to keep it that way, now can you call everyone to the briefing room?” Sungjin walked away from Jae to the briefing room, Jae hastily following him. 

• ───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆· ☽ ⋅ ───── •

“Alright guys, the Seoul police department just sent us a new case. The victim is a man in his thirties, 5ft6, stocky build, shaved head, no ID. He was found in a hollow tree just in the outskirts of Seoul three days ago on May 20th. Some kids found him while they were playing in the woods—" 

“Those poor kids” Wonpil commented sadly.

“Yea I hope they’re ok. Imagine discovering a dead body as a kid, I would literally die on the spot. But why call us? This doesn’t really look like it needs our help” Jae asked.

“Let me finish first." Sungjin glared at Jae. Jae raised his hands, gesturing him to continue "This is the picture of the body from the crime scene and this is a picture from today. As you can see, the body doesn’t look much different and the autopsy results from the Seoul police department couldn’t determine the cause of death, it almost looks like he died in his sleep. The weirdest part is that the body temperature is almost in the negatives even in the middle of May so the rotting process is slowed down. There are no wounds on the body and it was wiped clean. The police suspect that magic might be involved. And this is where we come in.”

“Where did you say the body was found again?” Brain asked looking up from his notes.

“It was stored in a dead tree just outside Seoul.” Sungjin replied.

“hmm we need to check any residual magic traces in that area. Are we allowed to examine the body?” Brian asked, already forming a plan in his head on how to go about this case.

“Yep we’ll head to the crime scene and see if there is any residual magic there and from there on we’ll split into teams. Brain and I will go to check the body and see if I can contact his spirit and find more information. Dowoon and Wonpil will go and find anything they can from the residents in the neighborhood and Jae-hyung will try to identify the man and look for his family. Any questions?” Sungjin looked around checking his team's expressions for any opposition to the plan. 

“Can I please join Wonpil and Dowoon? I want to check out the cctv placements in the neighboring stores.” Jae questioned, hoping to spend more time with Wonpil.

“Just say you want to spend time with Wonpil-hyung and go” Dowoon deadpanned.

Jae threw his pen at Dowoon missing him by a mile. “Shut up Dowoon what do you know?” Jae muttered, leaning back in his chair after seeing Sungjin’s glare.

“If you’re good with spending time in the sun then sure. Dowoon, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid— “

“Hey! When do I do anything stupid?” “Why not ask me hyung?” Jae and Wonpil spoke up at the same time.

“Jae need I remind you of what happened yesterday in the kitchen? Wonpil, don’t look at me like that, you were also part of this.” Wonpil averted his eyes guiltily when Sungjin turned to look at him. Sungjin knew this was a bad idea, letting them go together but he knew it would be useful for Jae to scope out the neighborhood for any future references. 

“Anything else? No? then let’s head out”

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

“Wow who knew that there were woods this dense in Seoul?” Jae was surprised at densely packed trees making it hard to move in a group and blocking out the sunlight. At least he doesn't have to worry about burning out in the woods, that would be such a lame way to go, dying in the woods at 2 in the afternoon. 

“Hyung you have been alive for how long and you still don’t know a place like this exists in Seoul?” Wonpil wondered out loud.

“Wonpil-ah just cause he’s old as balls don’t mean he goes out.” Brian snickered, knowing how much of a homebody Jae actually was.

“I like to be comfy at home with my babies, sue me. Plus, the sun makes it hard to go out for a long period of time.” Jae replied Wonpil ignoring Brian completely.

“You’re just giving excuses hyung. Just admit you have no life, get it?” Dowoon laughed at his own joke making everyone groan at the horrible pun.

“Guys can we please concentrate, these woods are filled with spirits and I need to ask them but your chatter is making them skittish.” Sungjin was apparently the only one who actually wanted to do work.

Sungjin however, noticed the number of spirits decreasing the closer they got to the crime scene. At the crime scene, the only part of the tree that was left was the stump standing about 3ft tall, rest of the tree was scattered around in broken pieces. The air was still and it was unnaturally quiet for woods this dense. The summer heat making the atmosphere stifling.

Jae started taking pictures of the tree and the surrounding area, Dowoon looking around for any signs of disturbance that weren’t from wild animals. Wonpil was talking to the officers guarding the crime scene hoping to find more information about the area.

Sungjin and Brian moved towards the tree and looked in, finding nothing but rotting wood and crushed leaves.

“Can you find any magical trace of the killer or the victim, Younghyun?” Sungjin asked him, trying not be affected by their close proximity as they leaned in further, switching on a flashlight to see the inside better.

“There’s nothing here except the usual magic in found in nature which is weird considering how the body was in the tree. There should be more leftover magic but the closer I get to the tree the less magic I feel? How did the killer manage to fit the body inside? Looking at the tree now, it's far too small for a man that size to be stored inside for weeks.” Brian answered, willing his heartbeat to calm down and prays that red ears are not that obvious. Why does he get so affected by Sungjin using his Korean name? He’d asked the man once and all he got in reply was a small smile and a reply that said the name suited him more. What does that even mean? Sungjin makes him so confused but that’s a problem for another time, he pushed his feelings aside and focused on finding any magical traces or even residue.

“Do you see any spirits hyung? I can’t find anything out of place except a few toys but they probably belong to the neighborhood kids.” Dowoon asked Sungjin, moving towards the pair.

“No that’s the strange part. At the edge of the woods there were tons of spirits but here I can’t see any. Its almost as if they’re scared of this place with how they’re avoiding even coming near it.” Sungjin wondered what on earth could make spirits that scared, the dead have nothing to fear.

“I’m going to the look around and see if I can ask any spirits. Call me if you find anything weird.” Sungjin walked away from the crime scene, hoping to find a sensible spirit willing to talk to him.

As he reached the edge of the woods, he saw spirits gathered around talking to each other. This was even stranger, spirits rarely gather in such numbers let alone talk to each other. Most of the spirits prefer to be alone, not wanting to make attachments in the afterlife. Some stared at him, he wondered if they knew he could see them and approached what he thought looked like a friendlier spirit. The spirit in question was a woman in her late twenties who looked like she died in a car accident with her arms and legs covered shards of glass. She was standing away from the other spirits and seemed to be anxious, eyes wandering around.

He stood in front of her waiting for her to realize that he could see her. She finally looked at him and realization flashed in her eyes as she made eye contact with him gasping softly at the fact that he could see her. 

“Is it alright if I ask you some questions about the woods?” Sungjin softly asked her not wanting to spook her. She nodded and motioned for him to follow her to the alley nearby. Sunjin wondered why would she need to answer his questions in private. Was there something she couldn't say in front of the other spirits? 

“Did you see anyone come into the woods? Why are all the other spirits so scared to go near the tree? Do you know the man that was killed?” Once they were alone, he fired off all the questions eating at him at once wanting to know more about the woods.

“Some weeks ago the spirits in the woods disappeared and no one wants to disappear like that” the girl’s gravelly voice surprised him but her answers just gave him more questions.

“What do you mean disappear? Spirits can’t disappear just like that, either they let go of the thing that keeps them on earth or through a ritual performed by a shaman. And we couldn’t feel any traces of a banishing ritual performed in these woods.” Sungjin knew this because a spirit had followed him for years in high school, making his school life hell. He wished it would just disappear but every time he tried to perform the ritual he saw his grandmother perform thousands of time, it didn’t work. No one can get rid of spirits except for spirits themselves or a shaman (the reason why shamans were high in demand he should have been a shaman instead then at least he'll be rich).

“I don’t know mister but these ones did. I don’t want to go near the place again, there’s dark energy near that place.” The girl replied floating away from him before he could ask her more questions.

He asked other spirits gathered around the woods but no one had any idea on what was happening, everyone telling him the same thing that there was dark energy surrounding the tree that appeared after the disappearance of the spirits. The general anxiousness of the spirits made him wonder just what kind of threat they were dealing with. He has never seen spirits this scared ever in his life. One thing he did know was that this case was going to frustrate him to no end.

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

Next afternoon, the team gathered in the briefing room gathering to discuss any leads they might have found.

“Ok so here’s all the information we found about the victim. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find his spirit anywhere near his body when we visited his body and Younghyun couldn’t detect any traces of magic on the body which only adds to the number of strange things in this case. Whatever we’re dealing with here is not something we’ve dealt with before so we have to be careful. Jae-hyung did you manage to ID the victim?” Sungjin started off the discussion. He has been feeling the start of a headache ever since morning when he and Brian went to examine the body. The body was moved to the agency’s morgue where Junhyeok was currently performing standard magical tests to determine if there was anything magic related in the death.

“I couldn’t find any sort of identification so far but there’s a test running right now, going through the citywide database to identify him. If we had a time frame of when he was killed it would be easier for me to find more information about him just saying.” Jae replied.

“Junhyeok’s doing the tests right now to determine the time of death but it might take a while because the body is frozen for some reason. He’ll tell us when he finds anything.” Brian told the group, knowing that Sungjin wasn’t feeling too hot and taking over the discussion. Sungjin gave him a tired smile, grateful that Brian was able to pick up on his moods.

“I talked to the residents in the neighborhood but they didn’t notice anything out of place in the past few weeks. Once we find the time of his death, I can go back and ask around again.” Wonpil was quickly getting annoyed at the lack of information.

“So the only information we have is that magic is somehow involved in his death and that whoever killed him is powerful enough to scare the spirits. Great.” The headache was in full-force now, Sungjin knew he needed to take a break but there were other cases to get to.

“Moving on, Wonpil they need you to interrogate the suspect from the Kim Minseo murder at 3pm today. Jae-hyung please tell us if you find anything useful, also the cyber-crime department needs your help with one of their older computers so when you have the time help them out. Dowoon, Chaeyoung asked you to visit her lab, something about the plants shooting fire? I don't want to know just make sure not to blow anything up again." Sungjin tiredly told Dowoon as he saw him open his mouth, probably to explain what the experiment was. "Younghyun and I will start on the paperwork for this case. Dismissed.”

The group exited the briefing room, Jae following Wonpil down to the interrogation room, always excited to see Wonpil interrogate people.

“If you manage to get him to confess, I’ll buy you dinner Wonpillie” Jae thought he was being sneaky trying to ask Wonpil to dinner but everyone knew otherwise.

“Hyung! You say this every time and I succeed every time, aren’t you tired of buying me dinner?” Wonpil, however, was oblivious to Jae’s pathetic flirting attempts to the amusement of the rest of the team.

“I’m giving you extra motivation my dear Wonpillie. Anyways—” his voice trailed off as they got into the elevator to go down to the interrogation room. 

Dowoon was already in his lab, probably modifying the weapons he and Brian worked on to be even more efficient than they were. Sungjin made a note to ask him to do more physical training to control his powers instead of always being holed up in his lab. He couldn’t just use them for pranks and experiments but he never listens to what Sungjin says.

Sungjin settled at his desk bringing the necessary paperwork out and willing his headache to go away so he can start work. He saw Brain put a cup of hot tea down at his desk and looked up to thank him when he felt hands on his head.

“You need to get enough sleep hyung. Don’t think we don’t notice your dark circles. Are the spirits bothering you again? The charm I gave you still works right? Oh, that reminds me I need to update the wards in your apartment, I noticed they were getting weaker when I dropped you off yesterday. I’ll come over this weekend and update them.” Brian knew he was rambling but couldn't stop, wanting to fill the silence as he massaged Sungjin’s head, using a bit of magic to make it better.

“I’m fine. Just this case is frustrating me, I’m not the only one who finds it strange right?” Sungjin leaned back slightly and rested against Brian’s chest. “ and you can come over anytime Younghyun-ah.” He added sleepily, Brian’s fingers working magic, getting rid of all the built-up tension from work.

He didn’t realize the weight of his words at that moment but Brian did and his whole face went red. Their position was not helping, Sungjin –one of the most vocal hater of skinship –was resting his actual head on his actual chest and to be very honest Brian wouldn’t mind staying in this position forever, Sungjin comfortably leaning on him, fully relaxed. Their office line rang at the very second, interrupting the calm environment of the office and he let go of Sungjin to sit at his desk as Sungjin picked up the phone.

Brian wondered how he managed to get Sungjin to become so comfortable with him, feeling happy with the progress they were making. The week after The Party was the most awkward week he ever experienced and that counts the time he walked in on his brother and his girlfriend and couldn’t look at them in the eye for months.

He probably has the rest of the team to thank after they forced him and Sungjin to talk about what happened at the party. What they didn’t know or need to know was that they avoided the party talk altogether and just talked about menial things, telling each other useless facts about themselves, growing closer to each other. He does feel slight regret, now that he thinks about it because as Wonpil told him later, that was the perfect time for him to confess his feelings but he chickened out the moment he saw Sungjin's face light up as he laughed at his terrible joke. He's perfectly fine being one of his closest friends. 

“That was Junhyeok, he determined the time of death around the second week of April. Let me call Jae and tell him.” Sungjin said pulling Brian out of his thoughts.

“I’ll tell him hyung, you can rest. I put some herbs in the tea to help with the stress and your sleep.”

“You’re so sweet to me Younghyun. Thanks!” Sungjin said shuffling papers on his desk looking away from Brian thus not noticing Brian’s once again red face.

As soon as he saw Brian was out of the room he collapsed on his desk trying to calm himself down. Why was Younghyun so easy to love? It's been harder and harder to not blurt out his feelings everytime they talked. 

“You should confess hyung!” Dowoon called out from the kitchen where he saw the end of their interaction and the exact time of Sungjin's death.

“Shut up and go bother someone else Dowoon” Sungjin grumbled, grabbing the tea (that Brian made for him) and taking a long sip, warmth spreading throughout his body (maybe it's magic, maybe its Brian, who knows?)

“I’m just saying hyung you never know” Dowoon answered, entering the lab with 5 mugs, two bags of chips, a bottle of soda and all their plastic forks.

Sungjin wanted no part of that and finally started on the paperwork.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!  
> I finally wrote this after I got the idea like months ago.  
> Big thanks to Mary who got on my ass to get me to write and also encouraged me throughout the whole process (and also helped me w ideas) and Erola who helped me w new ideas!! <3<3  
> I also have zero idea about how detectives actually work, all my knowledge is from movies and tv shows so please ignore any discrepancies thanks.  
> Next update will be in a week??  
> if you wanna shout at me heres my [tumblr](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonrise_6) byeeee


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again thank you to my friends who encouraged me to finish this on time! if it weren't for them i would procrastinate until next year so,,,, thanks ily

 

“Now updates on the tree-killer case.” Sungjin moved aside letting Jae take his place to start his updates.

 

Jae connected his phone to the projector screen before starting,  “Thanks to my brilliant skills, we’ve managed to identify the victim. He’s 34-year-old Lee Hanjoon who got fired from his job at Lee Corp 2 months before he was murdered. No family except a mother in the countryside. His coworkers told us that he had a serious gambling problem and was attempting to steal from the company before he was caught and subsequently fired. He lost all his assets to gambling and was kicked out of his apartment 2 weeks before his death. He was homeless for those 2 weeks. Since Junhyeok was able to give us the exact date of his death we’re currently attempting to retrace his steps the day of his death to see if there’s anything suspicious.” 

 

“So there’s that. Since we can’t do anything further than look at what we have, we’ll focus on other cases for the time being. It’s been a week since we started investigating so we can take a break. Let’s go out this Friday, my treat” Sungjin smiled at the team trying to cheer them up and the room burst into cheers glad to have a break.

 

The past week has been hard on them. They couldn't find anything substantial to move the case forward except identifying the victim. 

 

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

Jae threw his arms around Wonpil and Dowoon, pulling them into the elevator, Sungjin, and Brian following the trio. “Let’s get smashed tonight homies!”

 

“Hyung we still have work tomorrow. We can’t actually do that, you know how bad your hangovers are” Wonpil was worried, he’d seen how Jae was when he was hung-over, he truly looked like the undead creature he was. He did not want his Jae-hyung looking like that ever again.

 

“Wonpil-hyung did you forget it’s Friday today? We don’t have work tomorrow, let Jae-hyung get drunk out of his mind and make a fool out of himself. I’m ready with my camera” Dowoon reminded him holding up his phone, snickering at the offended look on Jae's face, dodging his attempts at grabbing the phone. 

 

“Still hyung you shouldn’t get too drunk. I worry about you when you get drunk.” Wonpil turned to look at Jae, eyes wide. Jae felt his undead heart start beating again, trying to compose himself quickly before replying him. 

 

“Aw Wonpillie you’re so sweet. I’ll limit myself just for you.” Jae exclaimed, letting go of Dowoon’s shoulder to pinch Wonpil’s cheek.

 

Sungjin and Brian followed the trio at a slower pace, preferring to chat about stupid things they’ve seen Jae do in an attempt to impress Wonpil.

 

“Remember the time he showed up in a full three-piece suit after he overheard Wonpil say he thought Ji Chang Wook looked handsome in suits?” Brain said.

 

“How could I forget? He was uncomfortable the whole day, fiddling with his collar.” Sungjin laughed remembering how Jae kept complaining about filling stiff, moving restlessly through the office and hastily smoothing his expression whenever Wonpil walked by or even looked in his general direction.

 

Dowoon fell behind, leaving Wonpil and Jae to walk alone, Jae's hand wrapped tightly around Wonpil's shoulder. “Are you talking shit about Jae-hyung? I wanna join”  

“By the way, Wonpillie did you see the new drama with your favorite actor?” Jae questioned, not noticing Dowoon leaving them to join Brian and Sungjin.

 

Wonpil's eyes lit up at the question and started animatedly talking abou it “Yea hyung, I just watched it yesterday and I loved it. Did you see how—” Jae looked at him with literal heart eyes, happy to just listen to his sweet voice. Brian looked at how obvious Jae’s feelings were on his face and hoped he wasn’t the same whenever he talked to Sungjin glancing at him while he and Dowoon talked. 

 

They arrived at the bar few streets down, walking over to their usual booth and piling in while Sungjin went up to the bar to get them drinks. The rest of them talked idly while they waited for Sungjin to come back with their drinks.

 

Dowoon saw Sungjin struggling to get all their drinks and nudged Brian to go help him out. Brian didn’t even question him why he couldn’t do it himself and just rushed to help Sungjin.

 

The atmosphere was warm as everyone talked to each other. Wonpil was still talking about the drama he watched, recounting all the details to Jae who listened attentively when the door opened and the person he never thought he would see again walked in. He abruptly fell silent; this did not go unnoticed by Jae who only had eyes for Wonpil.

 

“Wonpil-ah what’s wrong?” He inquired quietly, not wanting to disturb the rest of them who were arguing over which flavor of ice-cream is the best. Dowoon loudly insisting that cookies and cream is the superior flavor, no one likes mint chocolate Sungjin-hyung that’s the worst flavor. Brian interjecting to declare that they’ve obviously never tasted rainbow sherbet because if they did, they wouldn’t be saying such slander.

 

“Ah hyung” Wonpil startled out of his thoughts “nothing’s wrong. I just remembered I forgot to water my plants today.”

 

Jae knew something was wrong because he knew Wonpil never forgets to water his plants. The man takes care of this plants like they’re his babies, singing to them every day. He even has a strict schedule of when to water them, even changing their soil every few weeks. He decided to not press further, Wonpil will tell him on his own terms, starting a conversation about the new software he was developing to help Dowoon keep track of all his magical experiments.

 

Wonpil was glad Jae didn’t ask any more questions, he was not ready to tell him about his past.

 

The whole night he was lost in his own thoughts, only replying questions aimed at him. The team of course noticed, he was the sunshine of their little group, always cheerful and positive, his laughter filling up every conversation. Everyone had their off-days and they all agreed silently to take care of him. Jae bought him his favorite food, Dowoon was touchier than usual cuddling his hyung and distracting him with his science talk. Sungjin and Brian dropping him off at his apartment, making sure he was sleeping soundly before they left. 

 

Wonpil was grateful towards his team for taking care of him without asking any questions. He did not want to lose them over the mistakes of his past.

  

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

The next day Wonpil woke up to someone knocking on his door, he got out of his bed opening the door with his eyes still closed.

 

Jae couldn’t help but coo at the adorable sight in front of him, Wonpil in his over-sized pajamas, his hair in a mess, his hands coming up to rub his eyes.

 

“Jae-hyung is that you? What are you doing here so early?” Wonpil was confused, why would his hyung be here at; he squinted at his wall clock, nine in the morning? He was happy to see him nonetheless, moving aside to let him in.

 

“You weren’t feeling so hot yesterday night so I decided to come over and make you your favorite breakfast waffles; my very own specialty,” Jae said, pulling out the utensils from the kitchen cabinets, already familiar with Wonpil’s kitchen from his numerous visits.

 

Wonpil moved to sit on the counter, pulling up his legs, observing Jae pulling out strawberries and whipped cream from the fridge. “Hyung that’s the only food you can make”

 

“You brat! I come over early in the morning to make you my delicious waffles and you disrespect me like this? I’m not going to put any whipped cream on yours, you can eat your plain waffles.”

 

“No hyung! Please don’t! You know that’s my favorite part!” Wonpil exclaimed, playing along with Jae, pouting at him.

 

“Fine fine, you know I can’t say no to you.” Jae was currently dying after seeing Wonpil’s pout paired with his wide eyes and bedhead.  How can one person be so cute? In Jae’s thousand years of being on this earth, he has never met someone so cute.

 

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

After breakfast Jae's courtesy, Wonpil went to take a shower while Jae cleaned up in the kitchen. They moved to the balcony once Wonpil was done where Wonpil started to water his plants. The calm atmosphere was broken by both of their phones ringing at the same time. They looked at their phones, another body had been found.

 

Jae drove them to address Sungjin texted them, rushing towards the scene of the crime. Dowoon wiggled his eyebrows at Jae, seeing them alight from his car together but didn’t say anything, moving towards the body and started taking pictures.

 

This time the body wasn’t hidden in the tree but was laid face down in the middle of the park in a residential area. The residents crowding around the crime scene pushing each other, eager to get a glance at the body. Sungjin ignored them, observing the body while Brian put up protective wards around the body, trying to respect the victim and the integrity of the crime scene. 

 

They worked quickly, taking pictures of the crime scenes and taking note of any magic residue around.  They moved the body to their morgue after noting there was nothing out of place except the freezing temperature of the body and the fact that the head of shaved, just like the previous victim.

 

While trying to clam the people gathered around the crime scene, Wonpil saw the same face that he has been trying to erase from his mind. He wondered if he remembered him at all, staring at him before Dowoon snapped him out of his thoughts, asking him if he was ok. He said he was fine just a bit tired before resuming his job.

  

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

Few hours after investigating, the five of them gathered in the briefing room to consolidate their notes, all somber as Sungjin set up the projector to discuss the case.

 

“The victim is 20-year-old, Lee Yoon Ah. She was in her second year at SNU and lived in the area with her parents. None of her personal belongings were with her when her body was found. She was last seen leaving her friend Han Yoon Ju’s drom on May 11 at 10pm. The next day her parents contacted the police when she didn’t come home after staying at her friend’s dorm. The time of death was May 11 so we know she was killed as soon as she went missing.”

 

“Wait so her parents thought she was staying over at her friend’s dorm? But actually, she left? Where did she go?” Dowoon questioned.

 

“Apparently staying over at her friend’s house was just a cover story so she could go to her boyfriend Lee Min-Suk’s house. Her parents didn’t approve of her relationship with Min Suk and had forced them to break up two weeks before she went missing. With her friend’s help, she was still seeing him on the regular.”

 

“Do you think the boyfriend has something to do with the murder? Does he have an alibi?” Jae interjected with his own questions.

 

“He does have a solid alibi, he was seen entering his apartment building at 9:30 pm and he didn’t come out until 11:00 pm when Yoon-Ah didn’t come as per their plan. His apartment building cctv captured the whole thing. I would say it’s a solid alibi but we never know. He’s coming in for questioning on Monday. Wonpil please take care of him.” Sungjin told Wonpil, snapping him out of a daze. He was still thinking about the familiar face, wondering what he was doing in Seoul.

 

“Ah- yes hyung. You don’t need to worry about it” Wonpil said. He’s been out of it the whole day, worrying his teammates. They could see that Wonpil wasn’t fine but they knew pushing it wouldn’t help at all, so they let it be, choosing to focus on the case instead.

 

“Junhyeok gave us the test results and they say the same thing as Lee Han Joon. We know this is the same culprit as before so we need to alert. Dowoon and Jae try to find any connections between Lee Han Joon and Lee Yoon Ah. Meanwhile, Wonpil, see if you can find anything in her group of friends. Do a background check on them and round up any suspicious ones. Younghyun can you research any magical causes of death that result in a freezing body temperature? I’ll see how the spirits in the area are reacting to this. Let’s regroup on Monday afternoon after Wonpil has finished questioning her friends.” Sungjin finished his briefing, looking at the exhausted looks on his teammates' faces.

 

“Get some rest guys, we’ve been working for more than 12 hours.” Brain tried to lift their spirits, the keyword being tried. The atmosphere was still heavy as they let the room. They dragged themselves to their desk to finish up any leftover work before they were forced by Brian to go home. Brian dragged Sungjin to his car and dropped him off. 

 

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

“You could have gotten him to tell us more Wonpil-ah. You’ve been off ever since Friday, are you ok?” Dowoon asked him. After overseeing Wonpil questioning Yoon Ah’s friends and relatives, he knew something was wrong. Wonpil didn’t use the full extent of his powers, he could have gotten more answers out of Min-Suk but he didn’t, choosing to limit his questions.

 

“That was all he knew Dowoon, he didn’t know anything about why Yoon Ah was killed.” Wonpil explained tiredly. He knew the boyfriend was innocent, admittedly he didn’t use any of his powers to prove it, he knew in his gut that he wasn’t related to her death.

 

He walked to his desk and pulled out all the papers from the case, going through them, making any observations that are similar to Hanjoon. He knew Dowoon was still looking at him trying to figure out what’s wrong, he prayed that he wouldn’t ask any questions and sighed in relief when Dowoon walked to his lab.

 

What he didn’t see was the reactions of the rest of the team towards their interaction. They grew more worried after seeing Wonpil react like that. Never have they seen him shorten any interaction with Dowoon, the pair of them thick as thieves ever since Wonpil started working with them. However, they knew Wonpil would come to them if he needed help thus they chose not to bother him, deciding to help him in smaller ways.

 

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

“Team meeting in the briefing room in five minutes.” Sungjin called out to the team before walking in the briefing room.

 

Rest of them gathered in the briefing room, wondering why Sungjin looked excited.

 

“Junhyeok figured out the cause of death of Lee Yoon Ah and Lee Han Joon! Dowoon, the detector you modified played a big role.” Sungjin smiled at him “They were killed in a ritual. We don’t have any idea of what the ritual is supposed to accomplish but the fact that it left the bodies at freezing temperature shows that it sucked all their life force out.” 

 

“So we can start looking into rituals right? I have this book on ancient rituals that I can get started on today.” Brian commented, glad to finally have a direction on his research. The past week he has been reading up on all magic related deaths but found nothing similar to what they had.

 

“Yep, Wonpil if its ok with you can you please help Jae with re-examining the cctv footage.”

 

“Any luck with the spirits hyung?” Dowoon questioned.

 

“Not really, they all had the same answers as the spirits around the Lee Han Joon crime scene. If what Junhyeok said is true then the spirit’s energy was also sucked in the ritual, hence explaining their disappearance.” Sungjin explained, wondering if he should consult his grandmother’s books on this subject.

 

They discussed the case further, comparing both cases to find any similarities, now that they knew some kind of ritual was involved they had an easier time retracing the victim’s steps.

 

Wonpil was unusually quiet the whole time, not offering any input unless asked directly. The team grew even more worried at this as he has been like this for the whole week. They had decided privately that they were going to give him the weekend to sort out any problems he had and intervene if he was still the same on Monday.

 

Sungjin, Brian, and Dowoon were called in to take care of a rogue werewolf situation, leaving Jae and Wonpil alone in the office. Jae decided to take Wonpil out to dinner, thinking that it’ll help him if he ate his favorite food. Wonpil declined his offer and left to go home, leaving behind a dejected Jae.

 

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

The following Monday, Wonpil called out sick, making the rest even more worried. They decided to go to his house after work bringing him dinner, however, when they reached his apartment he was nowhere to be found, only replying Jae’s worried text with “I’m fine. At my sister’s house”. At least they knew he was safe, but that didn’t make them less worried for him. Jae pacing in the hallway muttering to himself while the rest of them looked at each other anxiously.

 

Sungjin patted his shoulder, trying to reassure him “Hyung don’t worry. We’ll talk to him tomorrow at work.” He also worried out of his mind but was hiding it better than Jae. In fact, all of them were worried, in all the years working with him, Wonpil has never closed himself off like this before. They knew something serious must have happened that Friday for him to react this way.

 

“But Sungjin he has never acted like this! Look at all his messages the past week! Not a single emoji was used!” Jae exclaimed, holding up his phone to show them.

 

Dowoon frowned at his phone, pulling up his chat with Wonpil as they walked down to the parking lot. “That is weird but hyung, all his replies to me were one word. At least you got actual sentences, but we can’t do anything now.” 

 

“Come to work early tomorrow, we’ll decide on how to approach him.” Brian said, opening the car door for Sungjin to get in as his hands were full of food they bought for Wonpil. 

 

“Get some rest guys. He’ll be fine, he’s strong." Sungjin told Jae and Dowoon who were standing beside Dowoon’s car, with Jae staring off into the distance. "Jae-hyung please get some sleep. We’ll see you tomorrow”  Brian slowly pulled out of the parking lot, the ride home filled with both their worried ramblings.

 

“Do you need a ride hyung? I know your house is not that far.” Dowoon asked Jae, who was still in his own world, thinking about Wonpil.

 

“Nah, I’ll just walk.” Jae replied distractedly, still staring off into the distance. 

 

“If you say so hyung, please get some sleep.” Dowoon gave Jae a hug before getting into his car and driving away.

 

Jae decided it would be far too creepy to stand outside Wonpil’s apartment like some jilted lover and started his trek home. The night air helping to clear his mind from unwanted thoughts. He wished he pressed Wonpil that night at the bar, because ever since then Wonpil had been closed off. He wished he was better at talking about his feelings, the years of existing not helping with his lack of emotional sensitivity. He wished for a lot of things that night but above all, he wished for Wonpil to be ok.

  

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

Tuesday came with everyone except Wonpil gathered in the briefing room awaiting his arrival. The general anxiety of the room was off the charts, all of them nervous about approaching Wonpil. They never had to stage an intervention for Wonpil, usually, it was Wonpil staging one when Sungjin stayed overtime too many times or when Dowoon spent too much time in his lab only coming out for food.

 

Wonpil walked in the office to see all the desks empty, he put his stuff down at his desk and peeked in the briefing room to see his team gathered around the table, all snapping their heads in his direction at the sound of the door opening.

 

“Um is there a meeting today?” He inquired, walking in, closing the door behind him.

 

“We’re staging an intervention.” Jae opened his big mouth and blurted out the first thing that came to him, his eyes widening as he realized his words.

 

Brian shot a quick glare towards Jae before turning towards Wonpil, his eyes softening. “We’re just worried about you Wonpillie, you haven’t been yourself lately and we’re just concerned.”

 

Wonpil looked around, noting the genuine concern on their faces. He sighed, wondering if he should tell them the full truth or not. Before he could open his mouth to answer them Dowoon spoke up “You don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to hyung. Just tell us how we can help you.”  The others chiming in agreement.

 

“It’s ok guys. The past week I realized that I need to tell someone and I trust you guys with my life so might as well tell you.” Wonpil said, the others were relieved that he was opening up to them.

 

“So you guys know I didn’t have the best childhood” Wonpil started.

 

“Wonpil-ah I think Brian’s the only one in this room who had a normal childhood.” Jae interrupted, Sungjin and Brian glared at him in sync. “Sorry, sorry, please continue.”

 

“My parents divorced when I was five because my mum used her powers to gain money, power and whatever she wanted and when my dad found out he cut her off from our lives. I didn’t know about this until later on. Anyways in the 2nd year of high school, there was this boy Kim Jun Soo, he was new in the school and I was asked to show him around. We became fast friends, we hung out after school, ate together, studied together. Then this rumor started going around that I had Jun Soo under control? I didn’t notice it then but he would always do what I asked him to do and every-time we hung out we would always do whatever I suggested. No one in school knew I was a siren so everybody thought I was using dark magic. The rumors got so bad that even teachers wouldn’t talk to me.”

 

Sungjin interrupted angrily, already thinking of ways he could track them down and make their lives mierable. “What kind of teachers are they? They should be stopping this not taking part in this.” 

 

“Yea well they didn’t, then someone dug around and found out that my mother was in jail and that she was a siren. Now the whole school believed that I had forced Jun Soo to be under my control. Jun Soo was my only friend, now that I think about it, it’s probably because of my powers. It got so bad that I was constantly hounded by the school, the pressure and the fact that I just found the truth about my mum got to me and one day I told Jun Soo to just leave me alone. I didn’t think he’d take it literally hyung.” Wonpil was crying now, Jae and Dowoon hugging him from both sides. Brian got him some water to calm him down and they reassured him that it was ok if he didn’t want to continue.

 

Wonpil shook his head, wanting to finish his explanation. “I’m fine hyung. That day while I was going home, I saw Jun Soo on the bridge, ready to jump all because I told him to leave him alone.” He stopped, it was hard getting the words out. This was the first time he has told someone other than his family. “I managed to use my powers to save him and took him home to my dad. My dad already knew how to fix it because of the numerous people my mother controlled. He broke the spell and I don’t think Jun Soo remembers me anymore.”

 

“I told my dad everything and we moved the next week, using my sister’s university as an excuse. He taught me how to control my powers, ever since then I’ve only used my powers as an interrogation tactic when I started working for the agency.” Wonpil finished his recollection, tucking his head into Jae’s neck, finding comfort in his scent.

 

“Did you see Jun Soo again on Friday? Is that why you were so off the past week?” Jae softly asked him, remembering the fear in Wonpil’s eyes the night they went out when he saw someone.

 

“Yea hyung,I also saw him at Lee Yoon Ah’s crime scene. I thought I was better hyung but what if I lose control again? My powers are better than in high school, I can have multiple people under my influence now. I don’t want to take away someone’s will.” Wonpil said.

 

“Wonpil we know you. You have worked with us for over four years. You have the most control over their power than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Sungjin reassured him, knowing that someone with a heart like Wonpil would never do such a thing.

 

“Yea Wonpillie, and the fact that you’re so concerned about losing control says a lot about you. You’re not your mother, Wonpil-ah” Brian added, knowing that would have been on his mind the whole time.

 

Dowoon patted his one arm that wasn't wrapped around Jae. “What they said hyung. If and I’m just saying if you lose control you have us to help you out! We’re not one of the top teams for nothing.” 

 

“We got your back Wonpil-ah. Don’t worry. You’re too good to be someone like her.” Jae caressed his head, running his fingers through Wonpil’s soft hair.

 

Wonpil sighed, lifting his face from where it was hiding in Jae’s neck, feeling better after hearing his teammate’s words, looking at them, relieved at finally telling them the truth. He trusted them with his life and seeing their reactions now he knew he would die for them. 

 

That morning was spent in the room as a team, talking about their fears and reassuring each other. They resumed their work feeling closer than ever.

 

•───── ⋅☾⋅ ☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•

 

Wonpil entered his house, smiling to himself after Jae took him out for late night ice cream, feeling better than he had in the past week. He took a shower and got ready to sleep when his phone rang, Dowoon’s name flashing on the screen.

 

“Dowoon-ah are you ok? Do you need something?” He answered the phone, instantly worried as Dowoon never called except in the case of an emergency, preferring to text.

 

“I’m ok hyung, I just wanted to ask you something.” His voice grainy, Wonpil guessed he was standing in his balcony from the background noise of the traffic.

 

“Go ahead Dowoon-ah”

 

“Do you already know about Jae-hyung’s feelings for you?” Dowoon asked, always straight to the point.

 

Wonpil gasped, this was not the direction he thought the conversation was going. “What are you talking about Dowoon? Jae-hyung doesn’t have feelings for me.”

 

Dowoon sighed, knowing he would try to deny it. “Hyung don’t play dumb, I know you know, you are literally the most observant person in the team. And I know you also like him hyung, the hyungs might not have noticed but I did. Why don’t you confess hyung?”

 

Wonpil knew he couldn't avoid this topic now that Dowoon asked him upfront. “It’s not that simple Dowoon, I can’t confess to him if I know his feelings for me are not real.”

 

“Hyung don’t tell me you think Jae-hyung likes you because you used your powers on him. He has liked you before he even heard your voice!” Dowoon could not believe that Wonpil thought that he was using his powers on Jae.

 

“No Dowoon-“

 

“Let me finish hyung, the day you started work, Jae-hyung came to work talking about the angel he saw in the coffee shop with the prettiest smile, he went on and on about that guy until you walked in and he shut up so fast after seeing you. He, later on, told us that you were the angel he saw in the coffee shop. Remember you brought us all coffee on your first day? Jae-hyung saw you before you even came into work and fell in love. You didn’t use your powers on him hyung” Dowoon explained to him, hoping this will go in Wonpil’s head and spring him into action. He would be in so much trouble if Jae found out that he exposed him.

 

“It’s still risky, what if I unintentionally use my powers. I don’t want to hurt hyung. It’s better this way, he doesn’t have to get hurt.” Wonpil told him sadly, not wanting to end up like his parents. It didn't help that he has never seen a siren in a long committed relationship, the stigma around his identity prevented him from actively pursuing Jae.

 

“Why don’t you let yourself be happy hyung.” Dowoon knew they would be so happy together, Wonpil’s optimism balancing Jae’s cynical views on life.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it right now Dowoon. Good night” Wonpil hung up before Dowoon could say anything more. Silencing his phone before falling into a troubled sleep, his dreams filled with Jae and his smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is more wonpil focused cause i need to give him some love (i cannot believe i wrote so much omg)  
> if you didn't know wonpil is a siren, dowoon a demi-god, jae a vampire, brain a wizard and sungjin a wizard with an affinity for dark magic.
> 
> next chapter will focus more on the case and the group dynamics (update will be in a week once again)
> 
> thank you for reading this!! 
> 
> feel free to leave comments on what you think about the recent developments <3
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonrise_6)


	3. Chapter 3

 

Brian woke up feeling warm and comfortable before realizing that he was in Sungjin’s bedroom and the warmth he was feeling was Sungjin’s magic surrounding him. Other people in the agency have described Sungjin’s magic as cold, like the cold that seeps in you, only when you feel warmth do you realize you’re cold. But to Brian, Sungjin’s magic was anything but cold, it was the kind of warmth that goes into your core, the warmth you feel when you hug your mother, the warmth you feel when on autumn mornings, when the sunlight warms you up from the inside, fighting the cold. He could recognize Sungjin’s magic anywhere. 

 

“Oh you’re awake,” Sungjin walked into the bedroom, hair still wet from the shower.

 

 Brian froze, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of Sungjin fresh out of the shower. His hair was still wet, the long strands falling into his eyes as he tried to tame them before giving up and letting them do what they wanted. It’s a shame he was wearing a shirt, Brian thought to himself before slapping himself to get rid of those images.

 

Sungjin looked at him strangely “Are you ok Younghyun-ah?” moving towards his dresser, pulling out his hair dryer and started drying his hair.

 

Brian looked towards him to reply but the words died in his mouth once he looked at Sungjin looking like an advertisement model while doing something as simple as drying his hair. He had the strongest urge to go up to him and run his fingers through the smooth silky strands. He has no idea how long he has been staring dreamily at Sungjin, he knew he should stop but couldn’t bring himself to look away from the mesmerizing sight only snapping out of it when Sungjin turned off the hairdryer and the room was filled with silence. 

 

Sungjin turned towards him, bustling about his room trying to tidy up all the books and the charms strewn about the place. “Do you want to freshen up before we go get your stuff?”

  

“Yea sure, give me 15 minutes hyung.” It was then he remembered why he was in Sungjin’s apartment in the first place. 

 

One of his neighbor’s had somehow set fire to his bed and when he tried to put it out with magic, the pronunciation was wrong and it got worse. It almost burnt down the whole building if not for Brian’s quick thinking which contained the fire in that two bedrooms. The city, however, declared the building unsafe to reside in and kicked all the residents out until they renovated everything.

 

This resulted in, Brian turning up at Sungjin’s apartment at one in the morning looking worse for the wear on a Saturday night. Sungjin had, of course, welcomed him in, lending him clothes and even insisting he sleep on the bed. Brian, however, wouldn’t allow that and after arguing for ten minutes straight they decided to share the bed (not like they haven’t done it before).

 

That morning Sungjin woke up Younghyun curled around him; on the verge of cuddling him, his whole body curled into a ball with his head resting on Sungjin’s arm, hand holding onto his sleep shirt. He stared at him for a minute before his heart couldn’t take it and ran into the bathroom, carefully adjusting Younghyun into a comfortable position.

 

He set about making the bed, face flushed as he remembers their position in the morning. He tried to get himself together before Younghyun came out, trying to make himself busy, organizing all his shirts by color when Younghyun calls him from the bathroom asking for his clothes which sat on the dresser.

 

Sungjin gulped, looking back and forth deciding the best way to go about this was to use his magic except this was the one day his magic wasn’t cooperating with him. He stared at his hands, willing them to do something when Younghyun called him again, he decided to fuck it and goes to the bathroom with his clothes, holding them out for him to grab. Thankfully, there were spare towels in the bathroom because if he had to hand him a towel knowing fully well who was behind the door, he would combust on the spot.

 

Sungjin bustled around his apartment, waiting for Younghyun to finish getting ready so they can go to his place and get his stuff, calling Dowoon to help since they can’t finish everything with the two of them, even with magic.  What he was not ready for was a Younghyun fresh out of the shower, his face glowing whatever lotion he used making it brighter, his hair almost dry while he fixed it. He looked away when Younghyun looked towards him asking if he was ready to go. They left the apartment, getting some donuts on the way.

 

The whole day was spent packing all of Brian’s belongings into boxes with short breaks and moving them to the car. It took them two trips to move everything, even with two cars at hand. By the time they came back to Sungjin’s apartment with two bags full of Brian’s stuff, they were exhausted. Having Dowoon help them out sped up the process by a lot, finishing moving the whole of Brian’s apartment into a storage facility, they treated him to dinner before finally going home.

 

They fell onto the couch, muscles aching and drained of their magic, having used it all up to move things. Brian stared at his unopened bags wondering if he should unpack now or tomorrow when Sungjin spoke up “We can just unpack your stuff tomorrow; you already have some of your stuff here from all the times you’ve stayed over, let’s just sleep now, you look dead on your feet and I don't even know what day it is.”

  

“Sure hyung,” He followed Sungjin into the bathroom where they washed up together (like a couple he thought and promptly blushed).

  

They didn’t even say goodnight before falling into a deep slumber, lying side by side.

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

The next day Sungjin woke up to the smell of eggs wafting throughout his house, looking beside him to see the side where Brian’s supposed to be empty, one of his bags opened, half of it empty where Brian already put his clothes in the space Sungjin emptied for him the day before. His room already looked like theirs and it has only been a day, the upcoming days were going to be hard for him with Brian in his space all the time. He only hopes he can control his heart.

 

He washes up before joining Brian in the kitchen where he was almost done making breakfast and helped him set the table, already looking forward to the delicious breakfast that awaited him.

 

“Thanks Younghyun, you don’t have to do this every day. You know I don’t eat breakfast half the time.” Sungjin thanked him in between bites, stuffing his face with the eggroll.

  

“All the more reason for me to cook, hyung. You need to eat proper meals, how have you survived all these years”

  

“I do eat! Look!” Sungjin said, pointing out all the food stored in his fridge and cabinets “I just don’t cook a lot and now I have you to teach me” He smiled at Brian, making his heart skip a beat.

 

“How are you our team leader, I have no idea.” 

 

Breakfast continued in silence, with Sungjin cleaning up while Brian got ready for work. Both of them working in harmony, behaving like they’ve lived together for years.

 

They arrived to work in high spirits, Jae side eyeing them before dragging Sungjin to interrogate him about what Dowoon told him the day before.

 

“A little birdie told me Brian’s going to live with you for a while? How are you handling that Sungjinnie?” Jae asked him, purposely using the nickname that he knows he hates with a passion.

 

Sungjin glared over Jae’s shoulder in the direction of Dowoon’s office, willing the door to catch on fire with the power of his eyes “That little birdie and his friends should learn how to mind their own business” Sungjin pushed Jae to go back to his desk but Jae blocked him, hell bent on getting more answers.

 

“Come on! Tell me all the hot goss! Did you kiss yet? Oooo tell me are you sharing the bed? I have seen your sofa and if you’re making Brian sleep on it you’re a worse person than I thought you were.” Jae rambled on, eager to know everything.

 

“I’m not that bad of a person hyung! and we both have magic hyung we could have charmed it to be softer.”

 

Jae’s eyes lit up at the roundabout confession “Ah! So you are sharing the bed! Tell me did you cuddle in your sleep or not”

 

“I’m not talking about this anymore” Sungjin pushed him and hurried over to his desk, his neck red as a tomato, starting his work before anyone could ask him any more questions.

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

Three in the afternoon, they got a call that a third body had been found, this time a 46 years-old woman, Park Eun Ah, found dead in her house by her daughter. She had been alone in the house as her husband was on a business trip for a month and her only daughter had her own family, only visiting her every few weeks. Her body was found lying face down, with no clothes and all the hair shaved, similar to the previous two victims.

 

They examined the whole house, finding no clues on why she was killed. The whole day was spend searching the two-story house. The only strange thing they noticed was the lack of pictures of the woman’s parents, but that wasn’t that strange considering how most people get detached from their parents in the later part of their life.

 

They finally moved her body to the morgue to let Junhyeok start the necessary tests, hoping to find something new for once. The night was spent in the briefing room, pouring over all the notes they had, waiting for Junhyeok to come back w the results.

  

It was four in the morning, Wonpil and Brian nodding off in their chairs, Dowoon fast asleep on the table with Jae and Sungjin the only ones awake when the phone rang, waking all of them up. Dowoon sat up and blearily looked around rubbing the sleep out of his eyes while Sungjin went to pick up the phone.

 

By the time Sungjin was done with whoever was on the phone, everyone was awake and Brian was in the kitchen getting them coffee.

 

“Good news and bad news. Good news is that we found the date and time of death to be 9th June at around 10-11pm. The bad news is the gaps between the deaths are getting smaller and smaller so we really need to pick up the slack.” The rest of them nodded in agreement.

  

They started looking over the case with a renewed sense of determination, something they can thank Brian for with his helpful cheering charms.

 

“Guys look at this, all of the victims were killed on the full moon” Dowoon called them over to the where they had put up the timeline on the whiteboard.

 

“Pull up the time of death” Sungjin called out, Wonpil doing so “and the time the full moon was at its peak” Jae pulling up the necessary data.

 

 “The time of deaths are all in the same timeframe as the peak of the full moon.”

 

 “This must be some kind of ritual. We need to find out what it is and why” Brian said.

  

Sungjin looked at the time to see it was almost 10am, they had spent the whole night in the office examining all the notes they had. Looking around at all the tired faces, he sent everyone home, asking them to come back in the evening after they got at least 5 hours of sleep and some food. With the breakthrough, they deserved a break, plus there wasn’t a full moon any time soon. This time he was the one dragging Brian home. 

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

The most recent and useful development in the case came in the form of Junhyeok announcing that there was a strange substance stuck in the middle of the victim’s fingers, something that wasn’t there for the previous victims.

 

He sent over the sample for Dowoon to analyze while the rest of them worked on other cases and researched about any rituals taking place on the full moon (more than half of the rituals took place on the full moon so that wasn’t going in the direction they had hoped).

 

It was only two days later that Dowoon was able to fully analyze all the ingredients that were in the paste. The final ingredient which was the victim’s hair gave him the most trouble to find, as the killer had shaved his victims completely, giving him nothing to compare it with except the DNA which took a while.

 

With the list of ingredients found, Sungjin requested to the higher-ups to let this case be their only focus until they find out the correct ritual and the purpose of the murders. The request took no time to get approved and they all focused their energies on researching.

 

 Jae pulled out all his old hard drives where he stored all the digital copies of his books from the middles ages claiming it was easier while Wonpil and Dowoon headed to Jae’s older property where he kept the books he hadn’t had time to convert. Sungjin and Brian kept Jae company, looking through all the books and old cases in the agency.

  

It was a slow process, going through all the books but at least they had a direction.

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

Wonpil itched to roam around Jae’s estate. It was filled with beautiful gardens, kept in tip-top shape by the gardeners, the rooms filled with memories of Jae’s past,  history brimming the rooms. But here he was stuck in the massive library, methodically going through books to find any clue of the ritual.

  

He was staring at the gardens, wishing he was there breathing in the aromas and basking in the sunlight when Dowoon called him from the other corner of the library.

 

“Hyung look at this” He said pointing at the faded words, Wonpil bent down to squint at the small letters reading out loud “Sirens originate from the Mediterranean Sea, where they enchanted sailors with their voices…”

 

“No hyung not from the beginning!” Dowoon stopped him “Here I’ll read it. It is believed that vampires and ghouls are immune to a siren’s song and other creatures can be immune once they block their ears with wax. There! Jae hyung was never in you spell because he can’t be!”

 

Wonpil couldn’t believe it, was it really true? He knew about the wax thing, who didn’t, but this is the first time he ever heard of vampires being immune to sirens.

 

“How do you trust this” Wonpil grabbing the book and flipping to the cover “Everyone human’s guide to creatures written by Theodesius Herbert Hossenfeffer. That doesn’t even sound like a real name.”

 

“Well, we can check online?” Dowoon started typing on his laptop immediately, wanting to prove that it was real “I can’t believe you’ve never checked hyung. Ah there you go!” he clicked on a study done by a well-known vampire scientist named Alexander Faris.

  

“Look it’s a legitimate study and it says vampires are immune to siren’s song and he also tested it.”

 

“Why didn’t I know about this?” Wonpil questioned, pulling the laptop towards him to read more about this study.

  

“Probably because everyone was focused on his work on vampire-werewolf relations and how vampires were affected by magic and the moon.”

 

“Look on the bright side hyung, Jae-hyung has been in love with you for real. I know you like him as well, please do something about it.” Dowoon told him before going down to the kitchens, not in the mood to argue Wonpil. His eyes were tired from reading all the faded, small words. Why did Jae-hyung keep so many books he had no idea.

 

The emotions Wonpil felt were hard to describe, he was elated that Jae was in love with him for real, wanting to run and confess at this very moment but he looked at the pile of books they still had to read and decided that the confession could wait until the case was solved. They both had too much on their plate to actually start a relationship right now. He sighed and resolved to confess once the case was over and went to join Dowoon in the kitchen, both filling their stomachs before continuing their research.

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

Sungjin and Brian arrived at Sungjin’s childhood home; his grandma’s house once it was determined that there wasn’t anything useful in the agency’s records. The small three-bedroom house surrounded by a well-kept garden, filled with rare plants Brian itched to pick, all used to make charms and potions.

 

Brian felt warmth enveloping him as soon as he stepped into the house, Sungjin’s grandmother’s magic felt so much like Sungjin’s, the warmth both of them emitted comforted Brian. He looked around the house, looking at Sungjin’s cute childhood pictures with his family that took up the walls while Sungjin went to the backyard to tell her of their arrival.

 

The pair came back in the house and Brian was shocked at how similar Sungjin and his grandma looked, they were a carbon copy of each other except their eyes. Brian bowed to her in greeting but she just hugged him, her magic engulfing him, the warmth seeping into his bones. 

 

She led them in the kitchen where she started making tea for them while Sungjin told her about why they were here.

  

“See Brian, this is my grandson, never coming to visit me for me always visiting me for one thing or other. Both him and Soojin are the same” She complained as she set about finding the tea leaves in her numerous cupboards, Sungjin handing them to her, she smiled at him in thanks. 

 

 “Grandma~ that’s not true, we try to visit! Just we both get so caught up in work” To say Brian was shocked at Sungjin acting like a child was an understatement. It was like he was given a glimpse of what it would be like to be completely comfortable with Sungjin, with all his walls down.

 

His grandma smacked him, Sungjin pouting at her “You’re saying you don’t have time for your dear grandma? What are you both doing up in the city anyway? At least you brought your boy, Soojin didn’t even bring her girl when she came last week.”

  

“Soojin-noona has a girlfriend? She didn’t even tell me” Sungjin’s pout grew, now coupled with his puppy eyes. Brian flushed red when he noticed that Sungjin didn’t deny the boy part. He listened to their conversation over tea, chiming in once in a while, just happy to observe their reunion.

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

It had been three days since they came over to Sungjin’s grandmother’s house, going back to the agency for any important updates once but otherwise staying in Sungjin’s old room with Sungjin’s grandma forcing them to take breaks for food. It was already one in the morning and they were on the last shelf of books. They needed to find the ritual by tonight or else they were doomed. The rest of them were still going through Jae’s library and his other vampire friend’s book collection.

 

They were using their magic to go through the books so it would be faster. Brian was on the verge of giving up when he found the ritual he was looking for.  Double-checking and cross-referencing before calling Sungjin over. 

 

“Hyung I found it!” His voice bringing Sungjin out of the half-asleep state he was in.

  

Sungjin rushed towards him, bringing him into a hug. “Did you really?” He broke the hug, leaving Brian red, turning to read the ritual, his face slowly turning white as he continued reading.

  

“Something wrong hyung?” Brian looked at the waning expression on Sungjin’s face, feeling worried.

 

Sungjin didn’t reply, only speaking when Brian shook him “This is really dark magic Younghyun, this is not good. This is really not good” His voice shaky.

  

Brian had never seen Sungjin so scared, he was starting to sweat, his hands shaking as he gripped the book so tight his knuckles turned white. The look in his eyes was not something Brian had ever seen before, Brian sat him down on the chair, moving to squat in front of him. He gently pried the book out of Sungjin’s hand, holding them, thumbs caressing his hands, hoping to calm him down.

  

“Deep breaths hyung. You’re fine, I’m here” Brian began counting down, helping Sungjin breath, calming him down from what he was sure of; a panic attack.

 

“Are you better now hyung?” He asked gently.

  

“Can I just hug you?” Sungjin asked in a small voice, without looking up from his lap, tears falling slowly.

 

Brian stood up and hugged him while Sungjin sobbed quietly in his chest, wetting his shirt but Brian didn’t care about that. His heart hurt at seeing his usually strong hyung break down, hand coming up to pat him and slowly rocking them until Sungjin calmed down.

 

Brian stood there for what seemed like hours, letting Sungjin cry, feeling like crying himself. When Sungjin finally stopped crying, he levitated the glass of water from the corner and made him drink it, hands coming up to wipe the tear tracks. 

 

He spelled the chair towards him and sat in front of Sungjin, not letting go of his hands, just being there for Sungjin until he was ok.

 

Unprompted, Sungjin started speaking “This ritual happened to me Younghyun.” Brian gasped so many questions at the tip of his tongue. “You already know I have an affinity for dark magic, well the kids at school knew too and they weren’t too fond of it. I was isolated, no one liked being friends with a dark wizard but that was ok, I had my grandma and Soojin-noona. It was all fine until I started coming first in class, they thought I was using dark magic or something”

  

Brian opened his mouth to protest, he knew Sungjin has never used dark magic for his own benefit. “It was in the past Younghyun. Anyways they didn’t appreciate it, they already called me ghost-boy and zombie and other stuff and it just got worse but I kept my head down and studied, helping my grandma out in her rituals and garden. Then some kid got his hands on this dark magic book, I have no idea from where and found a different version of the same ritual, one that wasn’t so complicated to do.”

 

Sungjin took a deep breath before continuing “Him and his friends decided that I didn’t need my magic if I was only using it to cheat and made up some plan to kidnap me? I don't even know. We were only ten Younghyun-ah” Sungjin’s voice broke, Brian once again bringing him into a hug, running his hands through his hair until he was ready to talk again. Just days ago he wished to run his hands through Sungjin’s hair but he never thought it would be in such circumstances.

 

“I’m good I’m good” Sungjin laughed wetly, wiping his red eyes. “So they ambushed me after school and brought me in the woods. I wasn’t strong back then and there were three of them and one of me, still, I screamed and kicked and fought but they had me overpowered. The peak full moon that day was at like nine, they didn’t even tie me up, I was so tired from fighting them that I couldn’t even move, maybe I had already accepted my fate, whatever that was.”

 

Brian transfigured Sungjin’s chair into a sofa so he could sit beside him, cuddling him and providing him warmth as he continues telling him. Brian had started crying at this point, wanting to take all the hurt away from him.

 

“The main boy started chanting something? I didn’t even hear them; I think I was unconscious? All I remember is tons of spirits shouting before I woke up on my bed two days later. Turns out the spirits alerted my grandma and she got there in time to stop the boys. Thankfully, the spell wasn’t like this one, it was only supposed to block someone’s magic for a few days and the boys thought it was to permanently take away someone’s magic. Anyways the fighting and the spell drained all my energy and it took my grandma dozens of potions and spells to replenish my energy for me to wake up. The town head had kicked the boy’s families out and since then I decided that I need to be able to fight physically and not just rely on magic to do stuff.”

 

Sungjin finished telling his past and turned to look at Brian to see him crying. “Why are you crying Younghyun-ah? It’s all in the past now” It was Sungjin who was wiping Brian’s tears now, hands coming up to cup his cheeks.

 

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that at such a young age hyung. I wished I was there to be your friend” Brian continues to cry, he wished with all his heart that his hyung didn’t have to suffer like this ever again.

 

“It’s ok, I’m good now. I have all of you guys and I have you taking such good care of me, I have the life I want don’t worry.” Sungjin reassured him, his thumb caressing Brian’s cheekbones. They spent few more minutes on the sofa, talking about their past, reassuring each other.

 

They moved to Sungjin’s bedroom, falling asleep in each other’s arms, safe from all the bad in the world.

 

  * ─────⋅☾⋅☆⋅ ☽⋅ ─────•



 

Morning came and they bid goodbye to Sungjin’s grandmother, going to the car with hands intertwined, bags and belly full of her food.

 

The drive back to the agency was spent listening to their favorite songs, shooting small smiled at each other, hands still intertwined. Sungjin had already texted the rest of them and they were all waiting in the briefing room. If anyone noticed their hands, they didn’t comment on it.

 

They had decided that Brian would explain to the rest of the team about the ritual, Sungjin still apprehensive about talking to the rest of them about the ritual. 

 

“So we found the ritual” Brian started. “Thank god I don’t have to keep staring at words anymore. I think I’m getting snow blindness except with words” Jae complained, making the tense atmosphere lighter.

 

Brian continued “It’s called deliquesce, the English translation is to become liquid. What it does is, it liquidizes one’s magic and whoever drinks it gains that magic. The side-effect of it is death.”

 

“So what the killer has been doing is basically stealing others magic,” Wonpil said.

  

“But then what about the spirits disappearing?” Dowoon spoke up turning towards Sungjin, who had been quiet the whole time.

  

“It not only takes away a living person’s magic but also spirits energy too. Since the energy that keeps the spirits in our realm is magic, any spirit in the surrounding area is taken and drained of their energy. The book says that where ever the ritual took place, it would become a dark spot where no magic exists, explaining why all the spirits avoided the crime scene.”  Brian explained, reading the book.

 

“Anyway to stop the killer?” Jae asked.

 

Brian looked at the book again, “It says here that the person who does the magic will physically weaker the more they perform the ritual. An average wizard can partake in this ritual for about 6 times before they die while an exceptionally strong wizard can go up to ten times. So we can take advantage of his physical weakness and capture him." 

  

“But we don’t know who this person is, what if he’s a powerful wizard?”

 

Sungjin spoke up for the first time that morning. “That’s a risk we have to take. We have ten days until the next full moon. We need to form a plan one without magic since he could be a powerful wizard for all we know, send out alerts to the public so the killer will be easier to spot. Two of us will stay in the office, finding any pattern in how he picks his victims, while the rest of us will patrol the neighborhood. I’ll get someone from other teams to help us manage the public calls.”

 

Once Sungjin started making a plan, the rest of them joined in. All of them sat around the circular table, working out the details of the plan. What the rest of them didn’t see was Sungjin and Brian’s legs hooked together, exchangin small smiles as they all discussed their next plan of action.

  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the time for sungbri to rise;;;pls don't hate me lmao  
> sorry for the late update! i just couldn't write for the love of life. I'm not entirely happy with the pace of the chapter,,,but its something. (i'll edit this properly tmr my brain is all numb at this point rip sorry for all the mistakes)
> 
> Thank you for all your comments! feel free to ask me any questions you have!
> 
> [tumblr](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonrise_6)


	4. Chapter 4

 

It was two days before the full moon and the team was on edge. Ever since they decided to alert the public they have been getting calls left and right about the suspicious man standing outside the building who just forgot his key or the guy wearing big sunglasses while waiting for his ride. They had to get a separate team of people just to deal with these calls.

 

They were in the briefing room, going over their plan for the full moon. Jae had three tablets open in front of him monitoring the neighborhood and call team while also doing more research at the same time. Dowoon brought half of his lab in with him, modifying tasers and stun guns they had. Brian was helping him with the charms on their weapons while Sungjin and Wonpil poured over the notes and the map of the city they had put up. Needless to say, everyone was working their ass off.

 

Sungjin and Wonpil called everyone over to the map so they can go over the finer details of their plan.

 

“The locations of all the murders are within the radius of one kilometer, so its safe to assume he will strike around the same area.” Sungjin started off the discussion, point at the circled areas on the map. “Dowoon and I will cover this area while Wonpil and Younghyun will cover this area. Jae-hyung will monitor from here with the help of the on-call team.”

 

Wonpil took over once Sungjin had finished speaking “I went over the ritual again with Brian-hyung and according to the book, the perp will be extremely weak so we only need tasers and stun guns, however, he is magically powerful so we need to update those vests to endure more magic”

 

“It’s almost done, I just need to test it out again and see how much magic it can take before it tears apart, Brian-hyung is helping me with it tonight,” Dowoon said, not looking up from his taser.

 

“Good” Nodding towards Dowoon, Wonpil moved on to his notes “the full moon will peak at 1:06 am that day. It’ll be good to use the enhanced vision charms since it'll be dark.”

 

“We also need to be on our toes because ever since the case has been publicized the perp will be even more careful and dangerous.” Brian chimed in, looking over his own notes.

 

Jae looked up from his tablets for the first time, “What if he doesn’t do it this time? He already has the magic of three people and he’s not going to grow any stronger.”

 

“Hyung has a valid point.” Dowoon said, still not looking up from his taser (now taken apart).

 

Sungjin looked up and spoke to the team, “I spoke to our criminal profiler, Ha Jae Yi and she said that the killer is most likely greedy for more magic based on how careless he was with his last victim. She also told us that he will target someone with powerful magic but is physically not as powerful. He’ll most likely target teenagers or elderly.”

 

They discussed their plan in further detail before moving on to their individual tasks. Jae and Dowoon making camp in the briefing room to monitor the calls and experiments.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

It was the night of the full moon and the team was getting ready to go out. Dowoon had made sure that all their equipment was updated and without faults, knowing how crucial it was that the equipment worked; they didn’t want a repeat of the Park Min-Joo case, where the perp almost got away because the charm blew up in Sungjin’s face (Thankfully the vest worked and kept him safe).

 

Sungjin and Dowoon had already started their patrol of the north and the east area while Wonpil was waiting for Brian to finish putting up the finishing charms on Jae’s computers so that he can track them more accurately.

 

Wonpil was waiting at the side fiddling with this vest, looking for the candy he always ate before a mission when a hand appeared in front of him holding his precious candy. Wonpil looked up to see Jae’s grinning face, moving to take the candy as Jae moved it out of his reach.

 

Wonpil pouted at him before reaching out again and once again Jae snatched it out of his reach.

 

Now Wonpil was full on pouting, with his puppy-dog eyes and everything, glaring up at Jae. Jae chuckled at his actions lowering his hand to give it to him but jumping away before he could take it.

 

Wonpil, now annoyed jumped around trying to catch his good-luck candy as Jae kept jumping out of his reach. Just as the candy was in his hand, he tripped on one of the many wires that littered Jae's workstation. He fell forward into Jae, hands on his chest as both of them fell. Jae took the brunt of the fall, hands coming up to catch Wonpil as they fell. 

 

Jae stared at Wonpil’s face which was a hair’s breath away from his, hands resting on Wonpil’s waist. He looked into his sparkling eyes and his heart started beating again, he saw Wonpil stare at him, eyes moving down to his lips. He swore Wonpil was leaning down, moving closer when Brian called out, asking if Wonpil was ready to go and where the hell did they go.

 

Wonpil broke out of his trance and scrambled up, hand coming up to rub his nape, avoiding all eye contact with Jae as he slowly stood up wondering if what happened was his imagination or not.

 

“Yea I’m ready hyung” Wonpil called out to Brian “Bye hyung” he still avoided looking in Jae’s general direction, walking towards the elevator.

 

Jae grabbed his hand, preventing him from moving further. Wonpil looked at him with wide eyes when he felt Jae place something in his palm. He looked down to see his good-luck candy and looked back up at Jae.

 

“I figured you’d want this.” Jae softly told him, looking at the floor. Wonpil knew that if vampires could blush, Jae’s whole face would be the colour of the tomato. “Stay safe Wonpillie, good luck!” giving him a blinding smile, a smile that Wonpil could stare at forever but Brian called him from the elevator. He hastily repeated his thanks and jogged towards the elevator Brian was holding open for him.

 

Jae stood there for a long time wondering if Wonpil was really about to kiss him, before the ringing phone broke him out of his revive. This was not the time to wonder about what ifs, directing his attention to the mission.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── • 

 

Sungjin and Dowoon were patrolling the neighbourhood, with Dowoon on the wheel as Sungjin looked outside taking note of any suspicious people or spirits. There weren’t that many spirits around and the whole street was empty, giving him time to monitor the cctv footage on the tablet Jae gave him.

 

The radio in the car beeped, Jae’s voice blared out “Guys there’s a high-schooler missing in the east area near where Sungjin and Dowoon are. We have 20 minutes to locate him before the killer performs the ritual. The victim is sixteen and is skinny, with shaggy hair and pale skin. His parents told me he has a bright red backpack with patches all over it so look out for that. Brian and Wonpil move to towards the Lake heights apartment where he was last seen and Sungjin and Dowoon look around in the surrounding area. The footage in other areas doesn’t show anything out of place so they still must be in the area.”

 

Dowoon and Sungjin exchanged glances and stepped outside, bringing out their stun guns. Sungjin motioned Dowoon to cover his back as they checked all the alleyways.

 

“We’re at the Lake heights” Wonpil’s voice crackled in their ear pieces “Brian-hyung’s using magic to see if we can find his trace, his parents gave us his clothes.”

 

“His phone shows he was last on the intersection of Samcheong and street 51.” Jae told them “Sungjin and Dowoon if you go towards your right, street 51 is there and from there go straight and the intersection is there.”

 

Sungjin and Dowoon quickly moved to the said intersection to find nothing there. They had 10 minutes till the peak full moon.

 

“Hyung look” Dowoon pointed to the phone discarded at the side of the road, he picked it up, turning it over in his hands before unlocking it. “Is this his, hyung?”

 

“That’s the phone, the last signal was around 15 minutes ago so they must still be in the area. Brian and Wonpil go to the intersection”

 

“Already on it” Brian and Wonpil were full on running to the location “Hyung you can try asking the spirits”

 

Sungjin looked around trying to find any spirits hanging around but there were none, he and Dowoon had spilt up looking in all the shop fronts and the back alley. In no time Brian and Wonpil had joined them in their search.

 

Just then Sungjin noticed a spirit coming out of the alley a block away, a look of fear on its face as it rushed by him, not noticing his staring. Sungjin informed the rest in a low voice and cautiously moved towards the alleyway. They had 3 minutes left.

 

As he walked towards the alleyway he noticed a red backpack lying near the dumpster. He was sure they were in this alleyway. Dowoon quickly joined him as he entered the dark alley. Brian and Wonpil covering the exit.

 

The further he got into the alley, the colder it was. At the end of the alley there was a door open and both of them stepped in with Brian and Wonpil moving in further to cover them.

 

Jae had pulled up the blue-prints and he was instructing them in their comms. Sungjin charmed them so they wouldn’t make a sound when going in, as the building looked like it was going to cave in on itself, the wood rotting.

 

The air in the building was tense as they stepped in to see the room illuminated by candles. The candles formed a circle and in the middle was the victim, tied up and gagged, all his clothes were thrown to the side. He was trashing in his bonds trying to get out when he noticed them come in. He stopped moving and his eyes widened.

 

The killer hadn’t noticed them yet and had started chanting the incantation, his eyes closed. They couldn’t see his face. Sungjin pointed his gun at his back, took aim and was about to pull the trigger when the gun was flung out of his hands. He had noticed them when the kid suddenly got still and kept staring at something behind him. The killer kicked the candles before running to the back room, blasting one of the walls and running to the adjacent alley. 

 

“Younghyun! Wonpil! Get in here! We’re in pursuit” Sungjin shouted as they ran after him, the wood slowly catching on fire.

 

Sungjin jumped out the hole and ran after him, throwing spells that he deftly dodged. Sungjin caught up in no time and tackled him, punching him as he fought to get out of his grip. Dowoon reached them soon after and took out their special anti-magic handcuffs.

 

They stood up, pulling the killer up with them and moved to restrain him when a knife appeared in his hands out of nowhere and he stabbed Sungjin in the thigh. Sungjin's grip on him loosened as he registered the pain and the killer slipped out of hands and ran, Dowoon hot in pursuit. The blade must have been laced with something as Sungjin passed out in the middle of the street, Jae already calling a second ambulance. 

 

Dowoon ran after the perp, using his stun-gun to shoot him but it was no use. He managed to hit him in the arm with his special bullet that would drug him for a day once it takes effect. He had already called for back-up the moment Sungjin got stabbed. He followed the killer into a back-alley, losing sight of him at the other end. He ran back into the alley, looking into every nook and cranny of the alley, even opening all the doors and windows but catching no sight of the killer.

 

“I lost him hyung!” He was frustrated to no end. How could he lose him? He was just there. At least the drugged bullet grazed him. He should be around here somewhere, the back-up had caught up to him and together they turned over the whole alley trying to trace the killer’s whereabouts. He must have used magic to get away.

 

Brian arrived as they were all looking around to trace the magic. He inspected the area before doing a spell, that illuminated the side of the dumpster in bright green.

 

“He used a teleportation spell to get away. It’s not your fault. We didn’t know he had the power to use such advanced and dangerous spell.” Brian reassured him.

 

“But hyung! He was right there! I almost got him! If only I was a bit faster.” Dowoon exclaimed.

 

Brian hugged him, Dowoon’s tears of frustration wetting his shirt. “It’s ok Dowoon-ah. No one died. We got there just in time to save the kid, Wonpil went with him to the hospital.”

 

Brian’s voice shook at this point as the image of Sungjin passed out in the street flashed in his mind. “They’re looking over Sungjin-hyung now.” He led them out of the alley to the car that waited for them in the street was flashed in red and blue as the ambulance sped towards the hospital.

 

They followed the ambulance, Brian’s hands white from how tight he was gripping the steering wheel, Sungjin being the only thing on both their minds.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

The two of them joined Jae, who was already in the waiting room, buried in his tablet as he attempted to track the killer. They sat in silence waiting for updates on Sungjin.

 

Few minutes later Wonpil joined them, informing them that the victim was not badly injured, just had mild rope burns and that he would question him in the morning, letting him rest.

 

They must have sat there for hours, Dowoon curled up on the chair with his head on Wonpil’s lap as Wonpil struggled to stay awake. Jae was still on his tablet while Brian pacing the room, sitting down for a while before walking around again. Jae had given up asking him to stay still, knowing how worried he must be.

 

The doctor walked out of the operating theater and Brian rushed towards her, almost knocking her over. “Is he ok doctor? Can he walk?” He was about to ask her more questions before Jae patted him, signaling him to let the doctor talk.  

 

“He’s fine. The wound itself wasn’t anything serious but the drug that the knife was laced with Datura flower oil” Brian looked at her in surprise knowing how dangerous it was for witches to consume let alone letting it go in their blood stream. “We managed to counter using a drug called physostigmine and lavender paste. He should wake up in few hours.”

 

“How long does he need to stay here?” Brian asked her.

 

“He should be good to go after he wakes up. Thankfully he didn’t need stiches.  Just don’t let him strain his leg before his wound heals completely. Make sure he drinks two doses of replenishing potion everyday this week, after that his magic should be in full-power and he can go out for missions.”

 

They nodded and she made sure they understood all the instructions on how to take care of Sungjin before leaving.

 

They woke up Dowoon and Wonpil to tell them the good news and together they entered the room to see Sungjin sleeping peacefully. If it weren’t for the machines he was hooked up on, it would look like he was in his bedroom sleeping like he didn’t just get stabbed.

 

Jae had already texted the headquarters about Sungjin and they were told to go home before their de-brief in a few hours but they chose to stay in the room waiting for Sungjin to wake up. They settled down on the sofa, Jae and Wonpil knocking out in a matter of seconds, curled around each other. Dowoon took Jae’s tablet and fiddled with it, trying to find the holes in their plan.

 

Brain sat in the chair beside Sungjin’s bed, holding his hand. He too fell asleep, his head resting on the bed, hand still holding onto Sungjin’s.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

Brian woke up to the sound of Wonpil scolding someone, he sat up bringing up his hand to rub his eyes when he found that someone was holding his hand.

 

He looked at his hand in confusion, eyes going to the owner of the hand when the memories of the previous events came back to him as he locked eyes with Sungjin. He threw his hands around him, interrupting Wonpil’s spiel about how Sungjin should be more careful damnit, he’s still a very stabable human. Jae ushering him and Dowoon out of the room, using the excuse of food to leave them alone.

 

He was pretty sure he was crying, Sungjin’s hand running through his hair as he clung to him. He pulled back to look at Sungjin to see he was already looking at him. His hands coming up to wipe Brian’s tears.

 

“Don’t worry me like that again. If you do this again, I’ll stab you myself.” Brian said, adjusting the blankets and pillows making sure Sungjin was comfortable.

 

“I’m fine now! It doesn’t hurt or anything” Sungjin exclaimed pulling up the blanket to show him the bandaged wound.

 

Brian put his hand over the wound, letting it hover over the bandage “So if I press my hand it wouldn’t matter right?” He questioned.

 

Sungjin looked at the hand nervously “Um I wouldn’t do that right now, maybe in a few days.” Brian laughed at his expression, sitting down in his chair.

 

The door opened to let in Jae, Wonpil, and Dowoon with hands filled with food from the café down the street. Having jobs such as theirs, they were very familiar with the hospital food and none of them were fond of it, preferring to sneak in food from outside.

 

They filled their stomach, chattering about nothing and everything to get their minds off the case for a while.

 

They checked Sungjin out and decided to meet in the office in the morning, the rest of them working on the case from home while Brian made sure that Sungjin got enough rest before the briefing. (Everyone would have preferred for him to sit it out but Sungjin was too stubborn, insisting that he can at least use his brain)

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

 

 “I managed to identify the killer last night.” Jae started “Did you get any sleep last night hyung?” Wonpil interrupted, sounding worried. “Not important now.” Jae shook his head, shooting him a quick grin before continuing.

 

“He’s 35 years-old Kim Seok Hyun. He owned a convenience store on street 51 but it was closed down because he couldn’t pay the rent. Both his parents are dead and he’s estranged from his family possibly because of magic. Turns out his parents were proficient magic users but he didn’t have any magic. He grew up surrounded by magic but he himself didn’t have an ounce of it. His childhood was good but he had anger management issues and even went to therapy for it in his twenties.”

 

“Jae Yi noona said that he was probably couldn’t stand people who had magic and didn’t make use of it in a way he approved.” Sungjin continued “If we look at previous victims, they all had magic but were leading lives that didn’t really use magic. Possibly one of the reasons why he targeted them.”

 

Brian took over “I looked through the book again last night and found another ritual that’s similar but is done during no moon. This one requires more magical power there’s a 90% chance that whoever performs the ritual will also die. I discussed with Jae Yi-noona and she said he will perform this one for sure. He already knows we’re on his tail and since he missed out on the 4th victim, he’ll try one last time on this day. He’s probably more alert but also confident since he got away from us yesterday.”

 

Wonpil looked at Jae “Hyung you know his address and everything right? He’s not there?”

 

Jae confirmed Wonpil’s doubts “Yep. His apartment was empty; he’s probably hiding out in some motel or abandoned buildings. We can question his neighbors tonight but I’m pretty sure we’ll find nothing. Based on his and his neighbors’ social media he wasn’t really social with them especially after the store got closed down. The cctv footage of their apartment also shows him not coming home for days. So this is probably normal in the neighbors’ eyes.”

 

“So how are we going to catch him?” Dowoon asks the one question that’s on everybody’s mind.

 

“Well,” Brian drawls “we could lure him out? I need to test out my acting skills anyways.”

 

“Wait are you saying what I think you’re saying Younghyun” Sungjin double takes as he realizes what Brian meant “because I don’t agree with it”

 

Dowoon looks around, noticing that only Sungjin knew what Brian was talking about he asked “Care to explain to the rest of us commoners. We don’t exactly have the telepathy you guys have.”

 

“He’s saying that he’s going to be the bait!” Sungjin exclaims, exasperated with Brian. He knows how dangerous it is and he doesn't want to put him in this position if he can. 

 

“Oh, that’s not a bad idea. Hyung will be more equipped to deal with him” Wonpil nodded, Jae agreeing with him. “I can keep and eye on him through the new glasses Dowoon developed. We’ve been wanting to try it out anyways.”

 

“How are you all agreeing to this? This is extremely dangerous” Sungjin could not believe that everyone was going for Brian’s stupidly dangerous plan.

 

“But Brian-hyung is powerful and he can fight as well. You know him better than anyone, he can get out of sticky situations like no big deal. Now that I think about it, he’s the perfect candidate for a bait.” Dowoon explains.

 

Sungjin was agitated now he did not want Brian to be a bait and suffer through what he did as a child but he couldn’t vocalize it. He looked at Brian hoping that he’ll understand why Sungjin was so opposed to him being the bait but Brian just looked back and smiled comfortingly at him, reaching out to hold him his hand.

 

“No! I don’t want Younghyun to suffer like me!” He couldn’t take all the discussion about Brian being the bait. He slapped Brian’s hand away and stood up, breathing heavily.

 

His outburst silenced everyone, they all looked at him in shock. They hadn’t seen him this worked up ever since that case with the child victims.

 

Wonpil asked him in a small voice “Hyung what do you mean like me?” The rest of them looked at him questioningly.

 

Brain moved to Sungjin’s side “Hyung you don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to” softly speaking to him.

 

“It’s ok they can know but can you tell them, I don't really want to talk about it.” Sungjin told him, already regretting his outburst.

 

“Let’s just say something like this happened to hyung when he was a kid. He doesn’t really want to go into details.” Brain spoke up for Sungjin, telling them in as little words as possible.

 

The rest of them were in shock. They couldn’t imagine going through such an awful thing as a child and surviving. They had so many questions but held off, knowing that Sungjin was safe and alive was enough for them.

 

“We can send someone else as bait hyung. It’s ok” Dowoon told him, the rest nodding in agreement.

 

“Yea hyung, we have a lot of talented people in the agency.” Wonpil said, nudging Jae to speak. Jae opened his mouth to speak but Sungjin told them it was ok.

 

Sungjin thought about it. Brian was the best possible candidate, the perp hadn't seen his face and he is a talented witch in all aspects, on top of it he could hold his own in a fight. no matter how he much he thought he couldn't come up with a better bait. he reluctantly agreed. “Younghyun knows the most about the case and he has the skills for it. Don’t worry about me guys I’ll be fine.”

 

They all made sure that it was definitely ok with him before starting off the plan.

 

“I can track him down using his phone and magic and Brian can linger around him lamenting about his so-called magic problems. We’ll also make social media accounts and follow him so he knows exactly what’s Brian’s problems.”

 

Sungjin sat in silence as they all discussed the plan in detail, only offering advice when needed. Brian kept sending worried glances at him but Sungjin smiled at him every time they made eye contact, telling him not to worry.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

They arrived home, Sungjin flopping onto the couch, exhausted from the day’s events, his thigh throbbing in pain.

 

Brian sat beside him, bringing him a glass of water and dinner he had prepared in the morning. They ate in silence, the sound of the tv filling in the spaces. Once they were done, Brian sent the dirty dishes in the kitchen and turned towards Sungjin who was fixatedly staring at the tv. He gave him the replenishing potion to drink and waited for him to finish before speaking. 

 

“Are you really ok with me being the bait hyung?” he asked.

 

“Even if I’m not I know you’re the best option.” Sungjin replied, not looking at him. If he looked at him he was sure he would break down.

 

“If you really don’t want I can not go hyung. Just say the word” Brian was now kneeling in front of him looking into his eyes. Their position felt familiar to him as he flashed back to the day he told Brian the truth.

 

“It’s really ok Younghyun-ah. I’m just worried, what if something goes wrong and he’s stronger than we expected? What if we can’t reach you on time? There are so many things I’m worried about. And you go under cover the day after tomorrow. Is it enough time to prepare?” Sungjin rambled on, trying to get all his worries out. He knew if he didn’t tell anyone it would just fester and he would explode at the wrong time.

 

“I’ll be fine babe. We trained together remember? And you trust Dowoon and Jae right? When have their inventions failed? Wait let me rephrase when have their inventions failed in the time of need? Never. I’ll be fine, plus I have you all one button press away and I know you’ll get me safe and sound.” Brian didn’t notice his choice of words but Sungjin did. He broke eye contact with him and looked around, the tips of his ears turning red, nodding at Brian’s words.

 

“Now let’s go sleep. You need to rest.” Brian stood up, pulling Sungjin with him towards the bedroom.

 

They washed up and got into bed. Sungjin turned to Brian, who was on the verge of sleep.

 

“Please be safe Younghyun-ah” Hoping to convey all his feelings in those words.

 

He kissed Brian on the cheek before turning around and tried to go to sleep, not believing he’d just done that.

 

He fell asleep in no time not knowing that his kiss had turned Brian into a blushing mess. Brian kept repeating the kiss in his head, trying and failing to fall asleep until early hours in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're almost at the end TT one more chapter and we're done!  
> hope yall enjoyed this chapter! let me know what you liked and stuff in the comments! ^^
> 
> i also made a moodboard for all the characters check them out here!  
> [Sungjin](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/post/174541669900/witch-sungjin-in-deliquesce-x-x-x-x) [Brain](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/post/174541636350/witch-brian-in-deliquesce-x-x-x-x) [Jae](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/post/174541597645/vampire-jae-in-deliquesce-x-x-x-x) [Wonpil](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/post/174541564060/siren-wonpil-in-deliquesce-x-x-x-x) [Dowoon](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/post/174541521345/demigod-dowoon-in-deliquesce-x-x-x-x)
> 
> [tumblr](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonrise_6)


	5. Chapter 5

These days Sungjin can’t sleep well. He has gotten too used to the warmth Brian’s body emits. He has been told that his magic feels warm, maybe it does but his body is warm at all. He runs cold, winter is hell for him, he wears minimum 2 jackets at a time, Brian’s heating charms are his savior. Now he’s thinking about Brian again. It’s 4 am.

 

He was rudely woken up by the reoccurring nightmare involving Brian and the kids in the past. He saw Brian’s magic seeping out of him as he struggled to get to him, screaming his name. The nightmare always ends with him reaching Brian too late the cruel laughter of the children echoing around him as he sobs.

 

He wishes he hadn’t agreed to their stupid plan, then Brian would be sleeping beside him. He stares at the other side of the bed, void of the very male he desperately wants to see.

 

All they had from Brian was that the mission was going well. They hadn’t been able to trace Seok Hyun but from what Brian reported he had managed to catch his attention. They had 3 days to perfect their plan, the planning made difficult by the fact that Brian couldn’t leave the dingy hotel he was staying at. All of them had deemed it too risky for him to come back to the headquarters or home. The only form of communication is the comms they gave him and the tracking device they installed.

 

Sungjin wondered if he was eating properly, if he was getting enough sleep, if he missed him as much as he missed him. The thoughts running in his head made it difficult for him to go back to sleep and he got out of bed. Nursing a hot cup of coffee, he spent the morning in his balcony staring at the sunrise, praying that Brian was looking at the same sight.

 

When he arrived at the office, it was bustling with people. They had been given extra people to help out with the logistics of the plan, most of them under Jae’s watch as they tried to track Kim Seok Hyun, answer public calls, and keep an eye on Brian at the same time. Wonpil was over at his desk pouring over the details of the case, editing their plan. Sungjin nodded at him before moving behind Jae who was monitoring the camera placed in Brian’s hotel room.

 

Sungjin drank in the sight of Brian, the grainy picture still managing to capture his good-looking features. He must have stared for minutes, observing Brian as he went about putting on his disguise as a runaway youth. Jae’s voice broke him out of his revive. “He’s doing good Sungjin-ah, no major development but he’s fine, not injured or anything.”

 

Sungjin sighed in relief, expressing his thanks before going towards his desk. If he spent too much time staring at Brian, he couldn't work on the plan to save Brian. He picked up his phone to call Dowoon over to discuss the strength of the anti-magic handcuffs and how the modifications worked.

 

“Dowoon’s not here hyung” Wonpil said, without looking up from his file “He went to the gym again.”

 

“Again?” Sungjin was amazed “This is the first time he went without me asking him”

 

“Not only that hyung, he has been going there since last week.” Wonpil looked up from his papers to give Sungjin a quick smile.

 

“He was smiling at his phone yesterday. I’m telling you he met someone” Jae piped in, always ready to gossip.

 

“Whatever it is, I’m glad he’s learning to control his powers. I should go with him after all of this is over.” Sungjin said. Finally, some good news. He had been telling Dowoon to join him in the gym so he can control his powers better but Dowoon preferred the cold counters of his lab, always managing to avoid him every time he asked. He was glad that he took the initiative to go himself.

 

The day was spent going over the plan again and again till there were no holes, going over every possibility until they were sure nothing would go wrong.

 

Sungjin went home to an empty house once again, the reminders of Brian scattered around his apartment.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

It was time. They were all piled in the van, going over every detail of the plan as if they hadn’t memorized it word of word. Sungjin needed everything to go right, if not he couldn’t live with himself.

 

The tracker on Brian had brought them to the same woods the first victim was found in. This time he had gone deeper into the woods, the drone picture showed a poorly made wooden shack probably his hideout ever since he was on the run.

 

They were armed with knives, stun guns, silencing charms and their weapon of choice, modified by Dowoon himself. The rain coming down, soaking them. 

 

Sungjin and Dowoon left first, weaving around the trees careful to not disturb any wildlife. They didn’t need to worry about that as most of the wildlife had abandoned this side of the woods since the first victim. It has started to rain a few minutes in their mission, the sound of rain masking any rustling of the leaves.

 

Wonpil was ready to leave, taking a few minutes to gather himself as he double checked all the charms that he needed. He received confirmation that he was good to go and looked at Jae whose face was lit up by the computer screen.

 

“Hyung” Wonpil called him, he looked at Jae’s wide eyes, the light reflecting on them. Jae had ditched the glasses this time, his pretty face exposed for the world to appreciate. 

 

“Fuck it” he muttered before grabbing Jae’s cheeks and planting a quick kiss on his lips. He left without looking back, the door closing behind him as Jae stared at the empty space he had left. Jae broke out of his shock at the driver's laughter, telling him to shut up before focusing on the comms. 

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

Sungjin played with the knife as they waited for Jae’s signal to go in. He was staring intently at the poorly made shack, ready to stab the killer if he even laid a finger on Brian. By their calculations he must be preparing for the ritual, now they just needed Brian’s signal to go in. Why they had decided to wait it was beyond him, they could just storm the place as soon as they knew his location, no need for this waiting around bullshit. Granted the volatility of the killer was well known and he could injure hundreds of people at the same time but did they really need this? He sighed as he listened to Jae and Dowoon bickering quietly. 

 

Dowoon and Wonpil were on the other side of the shack, their backup behind them in case anything goes south as it was bound to. 

 

Sungjin’s blood ran cold, the knife slipping out of his grip. He couldn’t feel Brian’s magic anymore. The familiar cool magic was flickering in and out. He was in danger possibly dying. Fuck this he thought to himself. 

 

He saw red, ignoring all of his teammates voices, he picked up the knife and ran towards the crumbling shack. He threw a spell that blasted the wall and burst inside, spotting Seok Hyun standing over Brian’s limp body. He threw the knife aiming at his legs and dodged the spell he threw at him, the tree behind him blasting to shreds.

 

Seok Hyun went down, hands coming up to draw the knife out throwing it to the side. He was kneeling down, hands pressing into the wound, muttering a spell to heal him when Dowoon tackled him from the side. He threw a spell, managing to dislodge himself and ran out into the woods, Dowoon and Wonpil hot at his heels.

 

Jae saw the trail of blood left behind by Seok Hyun and told Wonpil to find the knife. All the reading done in the past month was finally useful. 

 

Dowoon ran after Seok Hyun as he deftly weaved through the trees, familiar with the area, throwing spells at him which he easily dodged and the ones that did hit him, he was protected by the magic-proof vest.  Dowoon fired his gun, missing him completely, the rain and the darkness making it hard to aim properly.

 

Meanwhile, Jae was instructing Wonpil about the blood magic he saw in the old texts. It was a good thing Sungjin managed to stab him.

 

“Concentrate Wonpil! Focus on bringing out all your magic! This only needs an incantation!” Jae’s voice helped Wonpil calm down as he reached deep inside himself to bring out the magic that lied in all creatures.

 

Seok Hyun kept looking behind, cursing as he saw Dowoon still in pursuit, trying to throw as many spells as he could while trying to run with an injured leg. He was almost at the clearing when Dowoon’s tripping spell managed to hit him. He fell into the clearing as Dowoon caught up to him.

 

Before Dowoon could put the handcuffs on him, Kim kicked him, slipping out of his grip. He swiped at him with a knife but Dowoon dodged it, locking his wrist and applied pressure on it, breaking it. Kim screamed as Dowoon’s grip tightens and the bones in his wrist cracked, the knife falling to the ground. Dowoon swung his knee up to hit him in the gut, Seok Hyun went down the wind knocked out of him as he cradled his broken wrist. He remembered the spell used to kill and started the incantation under his breath. He just needed to touch his skin, struggling to touch Dowoon as he easily dodged any attempts to hit him.

 

Wonpil focused on the breathing, the sound of the rain fading away as he held onto the knife, Seok Hyun’s blood covering his hands. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks, the wind roaring, screams of sailors filled his mind as he went deeper in.

 

He visualized the spell physically blocking the magic of the blood and started the incantation. He places his bloody hands on the wet soil, the blood washing onto the ground. “Use this blood to connect to the earth. Into the earth absorbed is your magic.”

 

Dowoon easily picked him him by his collar, intent on punching him, not knowing he was muttering a spell under his breath to kill Dowoon all the while. Seok Hyun held on to Dowoon's hand on his collar, gripping them tightly as he recited the spell. He was almost done with the spell, Dowoon’s fist ready to swing when he crumpled, going limp in his hands. Wonpil’s voice echoes in his ear as he finished the spell. Wasting no time, he handcuffed him, hauling his limp body towards their van.

 

“Dowoon-ah did it work? Was his magic blocked?” Wonpil questioned as Dowoon’s grunts disappeared.

 

“Yeah hyung. Though he’s waking up now. It only lasted for like a minute. We need to look into this later.” Dowoon hated the rain, especially at this moment, he was all muddy from the fight. At least the rain had turned into a gentle drizzle as he dragged Kim Seok Hyun to their holding van.

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

Sungjin saw Dowoon tackle Kim from the corner of his eye, all of his attention on Brian’s limp body. He rushed towards the freezing body, muttering a spell to cut all the ropes that tied him up.

 

He covered Brian’s naked body with his jackets. He put his finger under Brian’s nose, glad to find him still breathing. The water was dripping through the broken roof as Sungjin casts all the healing spells he knows in the desperation to wake Brian up. He looks at all the rope burns and the fresh cuts all over his body, looks at the new scars he obtained in just a few days and tears start falling.

 

Sungjin can feel Brian’s magic going faint and his own magic reaches out to it, trying to revive it. He starts doing CPR, desperately trying to bring Brian back. He racks his brain to remember the spell while doing the CPR. When Jae’s voice brings him back to the present.

 

“Sungjin snap out of it! This won’t help him! The spell is drop of life. Calm yourself down and breath. Focus on his magic and coax it towards you.” Jae’s voice helps clear his head as Sungjin takes deep breaths. “Remember! Do not let it out of your sight. The doctor is on the way.”

 

Sungjin places his hands on Brian’s chest focusing all his energy into transferring his own energy to Brian. He closes his eyes, visualizing his magic in his mind. He looks around feeling for Brian’s magic when a faint blue light reaches him. He runs towards it before remembering Jae’s words and stops. He lets his magic go towards the blue light, projecting all his feelings into it.

 

Sungjin can feel Brian’s heart beating faintly underneath his hands, he focuses all his positive feelings and energy into his magic, willing it to work, tears still falling.

 

The blue light grows closer and he feels Brian’s magic grow stronger. He tries even harder, breathing out encouragements, praying for Brian to wake up. He feels Brian’s heart stop beating and his own heart stops, eyes snapping open to look at Brian’s still body. He cries out before Brian sits up abruptly, breathing heavily.

 

He’s surrounded by Brian’s magic, the magic that brings relief like the cool evening breeze in the summer, the air that feels fresh after rainfall, the magic that completes his.

 

He gathers Brian in his arms sobbing in relief. He’s so so glad Brian’s ok, that he’s alive, that he’s still breathing.

 

Brian feels disoriented, head throbbing as Sungjin flings himself at him and starts sobbing. Seeing him sob breaks his heart as he brings up his arms to hug him back. He doesn’t realize he has also started crying.

 

Both of them cry in relief and the fact that they’re both alive. Sungjin pulls back and leans his forehead against Brian’s staring deeply into his eyes. Their tears haven’t stopped. Sungjin just stares at Brian, hand brushing Brian’s wet hair, cupping his face. Brian wants to kiss him so badly, he wants to kiss away all his tears, kiss away all his pain. 

 

“You’re never going on this kind of missions again. I can’t bear it if the love of my life dies like this” Sungjin whispers words that are meant only for them.

 

Brian laughs wetly “Did you just call me the love of your life?” his hands playing with Sungjin’s hair.

 

“So what if I did?” Sungjin answers, the familiar glint in his eyes is back. His eyes are filled with love. Oh, Brian thinks to himself, so that's what it was. 

 

Brian knows Sungjin’s waiting for him to take the next step and he does. He kisses him like he has wanted to do for years. The feeling of Sungjin’s lips moving against his overwhelms him as they poured all their feelings into the kiss. They kiss like their life depends on it. He had missed kissing him, he wished he had the courage to confess after the party then he could have been doing this for years.

 

Sungjin pulls away, Brian chasing him subconsciously “Stop thinking so much. Whatever is done is done” He pulls Brian into a hug again, both sighing as their magic intertwined, completing them. 

 

They sat there, embracing each other for what felt like hours but in reality was only seconds, only breaking apart when Jae threw a bag at them. They both looked at him questioningly.

 

He nodded towards the bag “Those are clothes for Brian. The doctor is outside, I asked him to wait a bit while you had your moment. Congratulations by the way, it’s about time” His eyes go soft as he looked at them. “I’m glad you’re ok. We have a lot to talk about but that can wait. Dowoon managed to catch Kim. Take your time, we are all fine.” He awkwardly ruffles both their hair and walks away, delegating tasks to the clean up crew.

 

“That’s a relief. Dowoon’s finally using his powers uh” Brian commented as he wore his clothes with Sungjin’s help.

 

“Yeah, he even started going to the gym, can you believe? I’m going to call the doctor in” Sungjin said. He was sitting on the ground with Brian leaning against him as Brian caught his breath, tired from almost dying. 

 

“Wait!” Brian exclaimed, turning his head to look at Sungjin, caressing his cheek “I didn’t say but you’re the love of my life as well” Sungjin smiled at him, his eyes turning into crescents, the force of his smile takes his breath away.

 

“I know” Sungjin simply replies, calling out for the doctor.

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

They reached the headquarters, Sungjin and Brian in a separate van on their way to the hospital. The rest had stopped at the headquarters to shed their gear before meeting them at the hospital.

 

Dowoon left the van, Wonpil following when Jae grabs his wrist standing outside the van as he looks at Wonpil in the glow of the streetlight. He just takes in Wonpil's beauty in the dim light, which still manages to highlight all his features, especially those eyes. Oh, the eyes, Jae could honestly write sonnets about those eyes.  

 

“So that kiss” Jae trails off.

 

“What about it?” Wonpil avoids his eyes, looking around with a small smile on his face.

 

“Did it mean something to you?” Jae asks, doubt creeping into his voice.

 

“It does if it means something to you.” Wonpil finally meets his gaze, eyes sparkling under the light as he looks up.

 

“Of course it did! I’ve been in love with you since I saw you!” Jae exclaims.

 

“You should do something about it don’t you think?” Wonpil steps closer to him, glancing at him coyly. Jae hands automatically go to his waist. 

 

“Wonpil-ah, do you want to go on a date with me?” Jae earnestly asks him, eyes not wavering from Wonpil’s.

 

In response, Wonpil kisses him, standing on his tiptoes. Jae's hands go slack, in shock once again as he stares after Wonpil running away from him.

 

“Is that a yes? Wonpillie? That’s a yes right?” Jae follows him, Wonpil’s tinkling laugh a music to his ears. 

 

• ─────  ⋅☾⋅   ☆·   ☽ ⋅   ───── •

 

Light flooded the bedroom as Sungjin carried Brain into the bedroom. It was the day after and Brian was discharged from the hospital. He just needed to rest for two weeks. Sungjin knew he was going to be bored out his mind in those two weeks, but what can he do? He should entertain his boyfriend but he has a job to do. Someone has to provide for them in the two weeks. Brian had scoffed so hard when he heard that, mentioning his ample saving before his pout was wiped off with a kiss. 

 

Sungjin gently placed the sleeping beauty on the bed, fluffing the blankets and covering him. He kissed his forehead before going to change, when Brian’s hand stopped him. He looked down at the half asleep man, eyes filled with adoration.

 

“You good Younghyun-ah?” He asked softly.

 

“Join me. I missed you sleeping beside me so much” He groggily answers, eyes still closed.

 

“I’ll just change into some clean clothes and join you in five minutes Hyun” He removes Brian’s hand from his wrist and hurriedly changes.

 

He slips into the bed, Brian shifting to curl around him immediately. He tucks Brian into his chest, breathing in his scent. He looks forward to life with the wonderful man in his embrace, lips curling into a smile.

 

“Sungjin” Brian speaks, words muffled into Sungjin’s chest. Sungjin hums in response, warmth spreading in his chest. “I love you”

 

“I love you too Younghyun” He replies, kissing Brian’s hair before snuggling deeper into their embrace. 

 

Both of them falling into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of each other.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This the end!!! im so thankful for all of you who read this, it took me so long to plan it out and this chapter esp was so so hard to finish. thank you so much for all your comments and kudos!! they helped me continue on no joke. im also so sorry for the lateness of this chapter i had a hard time starting it :/
> 
> if you have any questions at all just talk to me i have so much to say abt this au so many details that i didnt manage to write in ahh 
> 
> [tumblr](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonrise_6)


	6. Chapter 6

Brian cannot wait to go back to work. He has been bored out of his mind, spending the two weeks watching dramas, reading all the books that filled Sungjin’s shelf and feeding Sungjin’s forgetful ass.

 

He’s welcomed by his team as he walks hand in hand with Sungjin, Wonpil holding a small cake in celebration. The office was poorly decorated with a banner that spelled out Welcome back Brain. Brian knew Jae did this on purpose, knowing how much the typo annoyed him. 

 

“Where was my cake? This is favoritism guys” Sungjin chides them, a fond smile on his lips.

 

“We like Brian-hyung more than you” Dowoon cheekily replies him, dodging the punch that he knew was coming.

 

“All right. Let’s take this to the break room, we have more snacks there. Jae-hyung kinda went overboard” Wonpil squints in Jae’s direction, Jae just shrugging in response. What can he say, a man can't resist a good feast. 

 

They spent the morning catching up, laughing at all the office gossip. The day went by in a flash, it was already evening when the elevator opened and out walked a literal god.

 

He hesitantly shuffled in, his demeanor completely different from his godly looks as everyone in the office stared at him, wondering who he was. Jae muttered "hot"  under his breath and Wonpil glares at him. He wants to be jealous but he agrees with him, don't blame him! He has eyes! The man is smoking hot. The wide eyes looked around the office, lighting up as he makes eye contact with Sungjin.

 

“Sungjin-hyung!” He grew more confident once he saw a familiar face. “How are you? Is this your boyfriend? Hi, I'm Seungcheol” He introduced himself, shaking Brian's hand and waving at the rest. 

 

“Hi Seungcheol, I didn’t know you were coming today,” Sungjin replied the rest of them looked between them in shock. “I’m good and yeah this is my boyfriend Younghyun but he prefers Brian” He gestured to Brian who was sitting opposite him, his mouth open in shock.

 

“I suppose you’re looking for Dowoon? I’ll just call him” Sungjin walked into the lab, leaving Seungcheol with metaphorical wolves.

 

Seungcheol eyed them nervously, shifting from foot to foot, wondering if he should say anything.

 

“You’re the guy that makes Dowoon blush like a teenager aren’t you?” Jae asks, blunt as ever.

 

“I wouldn’t say blush, but I guess?” he tilts his head in confusion, looking like a puppy. The three of them sighed at the sight in front of them. How can a man who looks like that be so freaking adorable? The same question was running in their mind as they continued staring, not realizing how uncomfortable the man was getting.

 

Before Seungcheol broke under the pressure, Dowoon walked out in his lab clothes, grease stains covering his lab coat, hands, and cheeks.

 

Seungcheol instantly brightens up once he catches sight of Dowoon, a smile breaking out on his face as he stares at Dowoon. He has never seen Dowoon in his natural habitat, surrounded by his friends and doing what he loves. The Dowoon he sees normally is the sweaty Dowoon just after a workout.  Seeing him like this just makes him fall harder.

 

Dowoon is not any better, his whole demeanor changing, smiling brightly at him, a smile that none of the team members have seen. A love-struck smile.

 

“You’re here! Just wait a bit let me get my stuff.” Dowoon waves quickly before dashing in, leaving Seungcheol staring after him with heart eyes.

 

The others just look at him in wonder, staring at the man who turns Dowoon into a love-struck teenager. Only Sungjin was unaffected, having seen them when he joined Dowoon at the gym once.

 

Dowoon exits the room quickly, almost tripping on his feet but Seungcheol catches him, both of them smiling at each other. Seungcheol wipes the grease stain on Dowoon’s cheek, gazing deep into his eyes before a cough breaks them apart. They both blush as they say their goodbyes, Dowoon dragging Seungcheol by hand as Seungcheol sheepishly waves. Dowoon needed to get out before they got over their shock and started telling Seungcheol embarrassing stories about him.

 

The rest still stare at them as the elevator close, managing to catch Dowoon kissing Seungcheol's cheek. Sungjin may have screamed. Jae definitely did.

 

“How does Dowoon have so much game? First Seolhyun, now this guy?” Jae wonders.

 

“Yeah hyung. You lived for thousands of years but your game is still weak as fuck” Brian mischievously smiles at him.

 

“Excuse me! I still managed to bag the love of my life.” Jae brings Wonpil to his side, smiling at him.

 

“Sometimes, I really regret that decision” Wonpil replies, walking away.

 

Sungjin and Brian laugh as Jae chases Wonpil, whining at him. Sungjin looks at Brian laughing and feels love swell in his chest, glad that it worked out for all of them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okok this is the real End everyone is all happy and Dowoon has a hot bf (sry i love cheol too much also he's a werewolf) i had too much fun choosing a s/o for dowoon and like 3 other options. also took me so long to chose btwn the 4 ppl but cheol came in cause i love him and i saw a pretty pic at the right time 
> 
> this fic is so much longer than planned it was only supposed to be 10k max? and only 4 chapters? but u can see how that worked out  
> anyways thank you so so much for sticking with me through this! i love all your comments and i have cried reading them so thx for that 
> 
> special thx to my babe mary and erola for listening to my nonsense and enabling me so much ily <3
> 
> heres a [link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bGoTDQ58UH7AgUpjRdAzgFSJC7V0py-S3zMDS5KzgPs/edit?usp=sharing) of all my notes for the fic, there's a timeline and also character details
> 
> i started a sungbri social media AU on twt so check it out if thats your thing. i also have another sungbri planned which maybe angsty....maybe idk
> 
> bye~
> 
> [tumblr](https://moonrise-6.tumblr.com/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonrise_6)


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